


The Butterfly Effect

by MeowZee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Time Travel, and War, and death eaters, and some minor character death, do not be fooled by the silly situations there will be angst, there is some romance but it will not work out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-07-28 11:17:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 45,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7638010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeowZee/pseuds/MeowZee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luna finds herself faced with many minor inconveniences as she tries to finish her schooling at Hogwarts: the frivolous antics of her fellow students, an ongoing war, being trapped in 1943, and the non-stop chaos that she begins to spread in her wake. A time-travel fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yellow, Turquoise, Murky Pink, and Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New fic time! This is the first Harry Potter story that I've written in quite a few years, (I'm pretty sure that I've deleted all my old trash ones off the face of the internet. Hopefully. I better actually check that now.) but I had this idea that kept sticking in my mind. I thought writing one chapter would get it out of my system, but one chapter became 20k words within a single week. Long story short I am trapped and probably need help but this has been super fun and indulgent to write so far. I've been having fun researching historical things, coming up with ridiculous scenarios, as well as diving into the Harry Potter Lexicon and wiki again for this fic too.
> 
> A little bit about the fic before I leave you alone: Right now, I have plans for this fic to go from May of fifth year to the complete end of school, followed by some years after graduation. It will most likely be passing the 100K wordcount. There is some romance in this story with the main character, but only while she is in school. If that changes at any point when I am writing the story (I always try to write chapters ahead of time before I post the next one.) I will tell you guys. The same applies to things like violence, character death, and other potential reader turn-offs. Speaking of the two, there will be some violence in later chapters, but I'm not yet sure of how graphic things might get. As of right now, there is one (important) character whose death is planned, but more may pop up along the way. Despite that, I suppose I should mention that the tone of this story starts off fairly light and humorous, but gets more serious as time passes.
> 
> Well, enough rambling from me. As per usual, constructive criticism is welcome, and I hope you like the story!
> 
> Read, review, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Luna absently wondered if a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes product had gotten past the wards of the school. It seemed that some of the colours around the Great Hall had been switched. Dumbledore's hair was auburn, a rather nice shade actually. It went well with his blue-and-yellow robes. As she strode closer, she noted that what appeared to be blue at first was closer to turquoise. That, combined with the yellow, and the new hair colour he sported seemed like a good sign. It promised stability, happiness, and calm. Goodness knew that they needed some in these times. She wondered if the Weasley twins had done so intentionally or not.

It had been rather clever of them to change the colours of everyone's auras too. Although, it appeared that the strange shifts in his aura had caused poor Harry to sit at the Slytherin table, rather than the Gryffindor. His physical auric body had become a dark and murky pink. That certainly explained why he was sitting with the Slytherins. Their ranks were filled with those involved in the Great Waffling Cover-Up of 1955. As were the Ravenclaws, but her friend must have been aware that a murky pink aura would not go well with the blue and bronze of her house.

Despite the fact that everyone's physical auric body had been drastically changed, no one seemed to be taking note of it. Perhaps they would be more bothered if a different layer had been disturbed. There was still a very noticeable silence in the great hall. Few were talking. The scraping of cutlery and clinks of china filled the air. Luna noted that the meal had been changed around that evening. Thursdays normally consisted of a pork dish, with vegetables only harvested in the late growth season. There was soup and sandwiches being passed around here. Taking a deep inhale, she recognized the scent of chicken, as well as bacon, and leek. A traditional Scottish recipe then.

Despite the tantalizing smell of the soup, few were eating. Students pushed around their food, and quietly murmured among each other. Harry was one of them, slowly stirring his soup, as he stared contemplatively into its depths. Luna deducted that he was trying to look into the past lives of the chicken and the pig. She was glad that her friend was taking initiative, and going deeper into divination. Professor Trelawney was not that good of a teacher in her opinion. She focused too much on looking into the future with physical methods like tea leaves and crystal balls. Now, if she started to teach the class the proper yoga practices to open their third eyes, she would have a larger success rate.

Luna left that train of thought behind, tucking it away for a later time. She was hungry, but could not join everyone before, as her OWL notes had mysteriously gone missing. Luckily, they had been water-proofed, so she doubted that the ashrays would be able to ruin them. Luna decided to sit next to Harry, wanting to join in on the confusion of the great hall. There were vacant spots on either side of him. Luna decided to sit on his left side, because his right hand was his dominant one. This prevented there from being a barrier between their arms, and showed familiarity between them. They were friends after all.

"You really should eat Harry," she said, smoothing out her robes. "I know that your relatives' home has an infestation of the elusive ara ararauna. They'll eat you out of house and home if you're not careful."

One older-looking girl, seated across from them, made a strangled sound. She grabbed the arm of the girl next to her. They both bore a strange resemblance to the late Stubby Boardman. Especially in the shape of their nose, and the colour of their very thick hair. The other students around them tensed as well, and all eyes were on her. That included Harr- oh dear that poor Slytherin was definitely not Harry. He did look similar though, she had made an honest mistake. Luna did not get the chance to explain this to the cadre of snakes however.

"What?"

"Who're you?"

"Look at her robes, Avery, she's quite clearly the replacement Ravenclaw!"

Only one boy, who couldn't have been older than twelve, laughed at this remark. A sharp look from the older students quickly silenced him. Luna couldn't help but notice that the other students were looking at their table now as well. Looking at her.

"Well, are you?"

This was asked by the boy she decided to call Not-Harry-Potter. The wizarding world had an affinity for giving people hyphenated names, and she felt that it fit the student quite well. Hopefully he didn't already have one in place, it might overshadow her own new nickname for him.

"Am I which?"

"The replacement Ravenclaw?"

"If you can tell the difference between us, then I suppose I'm not a very good replacement," she answered.

There was another titter from The-Boy-Who-Laughed. Her new hyphenated nick-names were catching on if she did say so herself. Dirty looks were coming from all of the tables, including the Slytherin one, focused on him. This also drew the attention of the head table. The headmaster rose from his seat, followed by Professor Slughorn.

The Slytherins all bowed their heads, focusing on their meals. Recalling the rumbling in her stomach, Luna did the same. She ladled a large portion of the soup into a bowl for herself, and took two tempting-looking sandwiches for herself. They were cut diagonally, making a nice triangle shape, the only way which sandwiches should be served in. Luna liked this, as well as the combination of sliced beef and cheese between them. She took the top layer of bread from both sandwiches, and dipped them into her soup. The bread went quite well with it, and worked as an excellent way to sponge up the fragrant soup.

By the time she had finished one slice, Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn had arrived. The Slytherins seemed to hunch even further into their meals, avoiding the gaze of Dumbledore. Luna did not however, she had already tried to fall through the connection between the table and the kitchens back in her second year, but she just wound up with a soiled tie.

"Hello Headmaster, Professor Slughorn."

"Headmaster?" Slughorn asked.

"I don't know if I'll receive that position for quite some time," Dumbledore said, slightly bemused. "I'm only the deputy after all."

Slughorn looked between them, not bothering to hide his confusion.

"Erm, who are you?"

"Ah, I see," she smiled demurely at the both of them. "I'm Luna Lovegood."

Luna knew what was coming, the moment she gave away her last name. Slughorn's eyes lit up as he made the connection between her blonde hair, and the last name. She had seen him do the exact same thing with other students in her potions class, as well as when she went with Harry to his Christmas party. It was the face (the considerably younger, blonder one) of a person who had made an exciting new discovery, one that they would share with the world. Luna supposed that was the point of his Slug Club meetings after all, but she had not been to them before. Not many people wanted them in their clubs, but she didn't mind too much.

"Any relation to-?"

"The very same," she assured.

"I was under the impression that Selene was the only Lovegood attending Hogwarts. How are you related?"

"She's my grandmum."

That explanation did not go as well as she expected. One of the Slytherins inhaled her soup, and not in the Ron Weasley fashion, either. She had to be thumped on the back by the one sitting next to her. A boy, who had lovely red hair which reminded her of Ginny's, dropped an entire sandwich into the pot of soup. The steaming liquid splattered everywhere, but mostly landed on the robes of the girl sitting closest to her.

"Watch it, Prewett!"

The two teachers took it a little better than the students. Slughorn sputtered like a kettle, unsure of what to say to her bold remark. Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in shock.

"I do believe that Miss Lovegood is a little too young, and you a little too old for that to be possible."

 _"Hm,_ normally when this sort of thing happens, you try to keep it a secret," Luna said to herself.

"Pregnancy out of the wedlock?"

"They are fun to keep. I'd like to see how long it takes before they all discover the truth," she mused. "Well, Professor Dumbledore, would you mind?"

Luna stood on her tip-toes so that she could whisper her new secret to the man. Everyone had long since abandoned their food by this point. Now, they all leaned in closer, trying to hear what she was whispering to him. His eyebrows shot up so high, they were hidden in his auburn hair. Then they returned, knitting together in puzzlement, and his forehead wrinkled.

"That does seem like a bit of a predicament. But you're welcome to stay here and continue your education in the meantime. OWLs are just around the corner after all."

"Wonderful. Thank-you H- Professor."

"You should explain the situation to Headmaster Dippet and get things sorted out."

"Of course."

Dumbledore turned to leave, but stopped when he saw she wasn't standing.

"After dinner then?" He asked.

"The soup here has divinative properties."

Slytherins, Luna decided, were the inverse version of sunflowers. They were green after all, just like the stems and leaves of a flower. The moment the teachers left, their heads rose up again. They faced towards the dark, rather than the light. It was for their own safety and health of course, they needed the darkness to grow. Luna wasn't so certain if she wanted to give up her ability to look at the sun. Although, her father had told her she should learn to do so to help with vampire etiquette.

Luna wasn't interested in rejoining Ravenclaw, either. She had been bullied terribly there, the students were all rather close-minded. It was time for a new experience. She had enough Gryffindor friends to know what that house was like. That left Hufflepuff, and she didn't see anything wrong with that house. Luna knew that she was loyal to her friends, but she was not completely sure about the "fair play" idea.

As she looked over at the Hufflepuff table, (more than half of the table was still looking at her) she saw that the sandwiches there were cut into triangular quarters, rather than triangular halves. A good sign. Luna then recalled that Dumbledore had not even told her yet that she could be resorted into a new house after she was registered. Her conversation with the sorting hat later that evening would help though.

"Seeing anything?" She asked, leaning towards Not-Harry's soup.

Not-Harry-Potter recoiled, as if she had shocked him. Once more, the other Slytherin students froze, and they stared at her with unblinking eyes.

"Seeing any what?"

There was a mocking tone to his quiet voice, but Luna was not going to let him get away without explaining first.

"This type of meal dates back to the sixteenth century. A soup being in it's native Scotland, inside an ancient castle filled with magic might give you the power to see something."

The others (there were many girls sitting around Not-Harry, something they had in common) relaxed once again. Luna was surprised when none of them gave the snort of derision she had come to expect from her fellow students.

"My gran told me there was a recipe for that," the boy with Ginny's hair piped up. "Said it was for important gatherings."

"We are at an important gathering now."

"What do we see?"

"Time of course," Luna said, feeling encouraged by their enthusiasm.

"What do we look at?"

"Did any of us take divination?"

One of the girls from across the table got up, and came over to sit next to Luna.

"The teacher and class are a bit of a joke," she said. "I'm Lucretia Black, by the way. And this is my dear cousin Walburga."

She waved her hand in the general direction of the girl still sitting across from them. Walburga was twisting a heavy-looking ring that sat upon her finger, and eagerly looking into the contents of her soup.

"That's a nice name. It has a good balance between the long and the short, and stops it from being long-winded."

"What about us?" The-Boy-Who-Laughed asked.

"Cousins," Lucretia said, even more dismissively. "They're firsties, and we're both year sevens."

"Both powerful magical numbers," Luna replied.

Something about what she had said caused Not-Harry-Potter to suspiciously look at her. Luna was used to looks by now, and was not fazed by his.

"I'm Cygnus," The-Boy-Who-Laughed loudly proclaimed, "and this is my cousin Orion. He's going to be head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black one day."

Luna couldn't help but laugh when she heard him add the "noble and most ancient" moniker on his last name. The way he puffed out his chest reminded her of an especially proud peacock, but his features were all pointed and sharp, like a ferret's. Luna wasn't one to keep up with who was related to who in the wizarding world. It was easy to assume you were cousins with someone if you were pureblood. Seeing Cygnus reminded her of a tiny Draco Malfoy. All he missed was the blond hair.

"Are you seriously bragging about the future achievements of our cousin, brother?"

Just like that, the resemblance to Malfoy was gone, as he blushed and stopped talking. Before an awkward silence could settle upon the table again, Not-Harry-Potter announced;

"There's a spider in my soup."

"Oh! You're seeing something?" She excitedly asked, leaning towards him. "Spiders tend to symbolize rebirth, as well as cunning, and the ability to manipulate your thoughts to improve your life-"

Lucretia, who was also looking at the soup chimed in, "The only thing I'm seeing in that soup is a distinct lack of hygiene. The school really needs to do something about this spider problem."

"They really need to do something about the petrifying monster as well, don't they?" Walburga quipped back.

Luna instantly recalled everything that Ginny had told her about the terrible first year she spent in a haze. They had both spent their first year alone, without any friends, despite the friendship they had harbored as children. Ginny had fallen in too deep with the diary, and she became cold, distant. The one friend Luna knew she could look forwards to being around at school was gone.

The feeling of fear, that pressed down upon all the students returned to her body. It was a heavy, cold sensation, that nested deep within her stomach. It radiated outwards like ripples on the frigid surface of the Black Lake. Theories of who the heir could be flew thick through the air. So did feathers, once Hagrid's roosters had been slaughtered. Ginny confided that she had been unable to eat chicken since the incident, without feeling immensely guilty.

"Are you there?"

"The monster only attacks mudbloods who aren't in Slytherin," Orion said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Even Tom's safe."

Tom. Mudblood. Luna knew that she should have expected the latter, seeing as she was sitting in a nest of snakes, but it still bothered her. The former was different. She could still remember her and Ginny, sitting at the kitchen table in the Burrow. The memory was clear as day. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and Mrs. Weasley had baked a wonderful batch of chocolate cookies with chopped nuts. A plate of them sat in the middle of the table, and their warm smell wafted through the air. Luna had always liked how cozy the Burrow was. But that feeling faded when Ginny finally managed to choke out the name of the diary's owner. Tom. And here she was sitting right next to him, talking about predicting things through soup.

"Eee! Could you imagine him staring down the monster?" Lucretia squealed, clasping onto Not-Harry-Potter's arm. "I bet you'd win Tom!"

Tom rolled his eyes, and the boy with Ginny's hair narrowed his, glaring.

"Stop trying to make Prewett jealous, cousin," Walburga said, primly setting her spoon to the side.

Eyes, staring... She did not know what the creature was for certain, but she could guess. Ginny could not give her all the details, and Luna doubted that she would if she could. To the rest of the school, almost nothing was told. They just needed to know that the monster had been killed. But, putting all the details together, she was fairly certain she knew what sort of monster had been running amuck in the bowels of Hogwarts.

"What can peel layers like an onion yet still remain whole?"

"I think she's still not with us," Cygnus said.

"Your family would be able to purchase some mandrake draught if you did somehow get petrified, anyways," Orion said. "I know that mine would. They wouldn't leave me lying like a plank of wood in the hospital wing for an entire semester."

Luna didn't like the change in conversation. She especially didn't like sitting next to the person who would possess her best friend in the future. Thus, she rose from her seat, and smoothed out her robes.

"I do believe I should meet with the headmaster now."

"Cygnus, be a gentleman and escort Lovegood to the office," Walburga said.

Her younger brother looked absolutely mutinous when she told him to do this. Most of them, including him, were still eating dinner after all. However, he still stood up, and offered her his arm. Being a fifth year, Luna felt perfectly capable of walking to the office on her own, but this was 1943. She also figured it would draw unnecessary attention to herself by already knowing where the office was, as a supposedly new student. Luna wanted to keep the secret up, and see how long it would take others to figure it out. Maybe she and Dumbledore could make a bet out of it.

She and Cygnus strode through the halls in relative silence. He could barely hold her arm, the Napoleonic figure that he was. He took two steps for every single one of her own, and so his walk turned into more of a trot. Luna could tell he was seething, because he was forced to do something on the command of his older sister. The little boy had a lot of pride. This anger dissipated almost instantly when they came across two boys in Slytherin colours. The taller of the two wore a prefect's badge. Cygnus stopped, and inclined his head towards them.

"Abraxas, Selwyn."

They dipped their heads as well.

"Cygnus."

"Black."

"This is Luna Lovegood. She's in your year. Miss Lovegood, these two gentlemen are Abraxas Malfoy and Doran Selwyn."

"Pleased to meet you," Luna said, offering her hand to them.

"I take it you're related to Selene? Hufflepuff third year?"

Luna decided to omit that Selene was her grandmum this time around.

"Yes."

Neither of them came close to touching her until she stated she was pureblood. But when she did, they kissed her hand instead of shaking it. Abraxas seemed to know what he was doing, but Selwyn did not. The toad-faced boy left saliva on her hand. The gesture made Luna's skin crawl. This was how things like the biting bogles got spread. She blinked in surprise, and resisted the urge to wipe off her hand. It was important to be polite when faced with other cultures, as her father had pointed out. As far as she was concerned, pureblood boys from the 1940s were about as foreign a species as you could get.

"How was detention?" Cygnus asked.

"Ridiculously long for a simple remark," Abraxas replied. "Especially since I hadn't done anything wrong."

"All I said was that a dead mudblood was a good one," Doran defensively said, in a very croaky voice. "It's not like they could prove who I was talking about."

"As far as I know, there's only one dead-" Cygnus thought to look around, just in case any teachers or portraits were listening in."-mudblood around here."

"With all the family members that Grindelwald's followers have been killing, they've been cracking down on anti-muggle sentiments."

"'S what happens when a continental wizard decides to-" Cygnus stopped short again.

All eyes were drawn to Abraxas.

"Shite sorry- oh double that I just swore in front of-"

"I don't mind."

"I don't either," Abraxas said. "My parents weren't happy they had to send me to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons or Durmstrang. But they would rather go across the channel than have me die, or worse, be forced to join the little training camp going on at Durmstrang. The Malfoys serve no one."

"What's wrong with British schooling?" Cygnus indignantly asked.

"Beyond it being inferior to the French?"

"I really do need to get to my meeting," Luna said, trying to head off the argument. "Cygnus?"

"Selwyn will take you."

"I will?"

His remark went unheard, as the two were already in a heated fight.

"You're almost there anyway. Keep walking until you see a gargoyle statue, and then ask to be let in."

Doran Selwyn was definitely not a gentleman. He had the manners of a toad. In fact, his uncanny resemblance to one reminded him of another prejudiced pureblood she had known. That was a normal thought to have really. With all the inbreeding, it was difficult not to see resemblances between the past and present students that were around her.

She reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance just as Dumbledore did. There was a young girl in Hufflepuff robes walking with him. She recognized her grandmum from pictures she had seen in a photo album.

"Ah, Miss Lovegood. I trust you found your way here without too much difficulty?"

"Yes, it was no trouble at all."

"Now before we meet with the headmaster, I'd like to warn you that he's having a little trouble wrapping his head around the idea of time-travel."

"I'm sure it won't be that big of a deal throughout my time here."

"I don't mind," Selene said. "I've always wanted to meet someone from the future."

"I don't have much surviving family. Just my dad really."

"I don't either," she sadly replied, blinking her owlish eyes. "We stopped going abroad when Grindelwald's berks got my mum and my Auntie Achelois. We have to stay in Britain now."

"The Lovegood family always seems like a small one."

"Indeed."

They smiled at each other, and Luna was glad to have met a kindred spirit. Together, they entered the Headmaster's office. Hopefully they would settle her time-travelling predicament without too much trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, look who's down at the bottom of the chapter! I'm just here to teach you things about the story so far, seeing as I've been doing a lot of research for this fic. Both historical, factual, as well as delving into the Harry Potter wiki and Lexicon. Consider this a fun facts area of sorts.
> 
> Selene: Name of a goddess affiliated with the moon.
> 
> Doran: The male equivalent of Dolores I liked the most. Note that he is also toad-like, and his last name alludes to the lines below.
> 
> "'Oh yes — an old family heirloom,' she said, patting the locket lying on her large bosom. 'The
> 
> stands for Selwyn... I am related to the Selwyns [...]'" (Deathly Hallows 251)
> 
> Q: What can peel layers like an onion yet still remain whole?
> 
> A: A snake.
> 
> Tom's Aura: Pink is considered a member of the red aura group. Red can be good or bad. It symbolizes the blood, and the ability to attract or repel. People with red auras often have the desire to be number one, and they can have bad tempers. They are also strong in the body and mind. The dark, murky pink is supposed to show further deceit, dishonesty, and immaturity.
> 
> Today is also Harry Potter's birthday.


	2. A Cete and a Cadre

Headmaster Armando Dippet strongly reminded Luna of Cornelius Fudge, and she highly doubted it was just a blood thing. It appeared to be more of an "incompetent authority figure in charge" problem. He had not been very receptive of her suggestion that Tom Riddle was a murderer and controlled a basilisk. It seemed that the boy was an upstanding student, and anything but a troublemaker. She now knew how Harry had felt when he had first claimed Voldemort was back, and Fudge panicked.

It didn't help that their argument had been interrupted by Abraxas Malfoy and Cygnus Black. They were dragged in by a very irate head girl, Minerva McGonagall. She had been hit in the crossfire, and had sprouted whiskers. Luna suspected that she was currently working on her animagus form, because she had never seen the woman so red in the face. Luna and Selene had no choice but to leave the office as the two were reprimanded for dueling in the hallway.

Luna was frustrated with the situation, but not unfamiliar with it either. Plenty of people didn't believe what she said, even when there was proof. Dumbledore had assured her that he was keeping an eye on Tom, and he would not attack anyone again. Luna knew this to be true, but she couldn't help but feel wary. Selene had offered to spread rumors, but Luna declined. She was not fond of them to begin with, and she didn't want to let Tom realize she was on to him. These negative emotions were pushed aside as she entered the Great Hall once more. This time for breakfast.

The enchanted ceiling caught her attention, for the sky was a brilliant, crisp, blue that May morning. she studied the cloud formations, wondering if there could be any symbols for her in the sky above. Luna had discovered that the clouds in the Great Hall were not the same as the ones displayed outside, but the weather conditions were. Since then, she had always made a point to observe the differences between the two skies.

Luna seated herself at the Hufflepuff table, next to Selene. She was already chattering with the boy next to her. She only broke away from her constant stream of words to say good morning, and introduce her friend. Neville's Great-Uncle Algie Longbottom, a second year. Luna served herself oatmeal, and poured some of the pumpkin juice into it. She liked the flavor combination much more than the blueberries and apple slices that were available to mix in.

As she stirred her meal together, she tried to make conversation with the fellows at her table. However, they were either suspicious, given she had been sitting at the Slytherin table before, or wanted to ask too many questions. She had been happy to answer at first, but they got more repetitive as time went on. Gradually, the answers about herself grew more cryptic. Those that didn't trust her seemed to think this fit perfectly with her "Slytherin" tendencies. But she couldn't just tell people she was from the future, they had to figure it out!

Strangely enough, it was a Malfoy who saved her from the questioning. Abraxas actually used his powers of glaring to make the boy sitting to the left of her budge over. He took the place and unabashedly helped himself to the food, as if he owned the place. But not before deigning to kiss her hand again. Luna was starting to wonder if all the boys she came across would do this, as she subtly wiped off her hand on her skirt. Abraxas dragged her through the usual proper "good morning, I trust you slept well" formalities that she knew to expect from the pureblood students around her. He seemed to care about the answers just as much as she did, and he soon moved on to more interesting topics.

"Where are the other fifth years?"

"They have an OWL studying group session this morning, but my notes were stolen by the ashrays, so I can't join them yet."

"By the what?"

"The Scottish water lovers of course. They're similar to sea ghosts, but nocturnal. That's why I can't catch them in the act of stealing."

"Euh, well, here's your schedule. Professor Slughorn asked me to give it to you."

"Thanks."

Luna smiled as she looked at her time-table. Her classes were a mixture between the Hufflepuff and Slytherin fifth years, just like she had asked for. There were no objections to her request, as it made it much easier for them to fit her into the classes that she wanted. In addition to her standard courses, she had gotten into the two electives she had taken before: ancient runes, and arithmancy. In the spirit of her two new houses, she had charmed the striped trim on her robes, as well as her tie, to be green and yellow. She thought it was fitting, given how much the Slytherins were like sunflowers.

"We're in ancient runes together," Abraxas said, "so I've been given the job to lead you around the school until you know where everything is."

She was amused by how proud he seemed by declaring he was responsible enough to receive a simple job.

"So you're not just sitting here because you and Cygnus lost over one hundred house points last night?"

Abraxas disdainfully sniffed at the suggestion. His accent came out more prominently because he was flustered.

"I 'ave nothing to fear from the likes of them."

As a group of seventh year Slytherins walked by, they hissed at him. Abraxas went from a bright pink to a waxy yellow-white.

"Where's Cygnus?"

"L'ospital wing," He winced as he didn't pronounce his H again. "Or hiding from the howler his mother's going to send 'im."

"I find oatmeal is a good way to drown out the sound," Luna suggested, filling a bowl for him. "It also prevents things from catching on fire."

"I already got a floo call. A howler would 'ave taken too long to send."

"Ah."

"Our parents really want us to get along," he said.

"Oh, should I congratulate you on the betrothal?"

Abraxas choked on his pumpkin juice. The others around them did so as well. There were several well-hidden snickers, as well as smiles tucked between the bites and sips of breakfast. Abraxas whirled around, trying to catch one of the Hufflepuffs with a glare, but he found no one. He spread his efforts too thin, and missed every one of them.

"What?!"

"Between you and Cygnus."

"I am _not_ marrying Cygnus Black," he firmly said, two coloured splotches growing on his high cheekbones.

"Then why did you say your family wants to get along with him?"

"The Blacks want to strengthen their ties with the families in Europe, and my family wants to have allies in Britain."

"That makes sense."

"Besides, Cygnus and Lucretia are already being pushed into a marriage."

Thinking of how Lucretia had been eyeing Ignatius Prewett the previous night, Luna doubted the arrangement between the cousins would work out.

"To be fair, you _do_ like him."

More laughter, and Abraxas busied himself with searching for someone whom he could snap at.

"How so?"

"You're a fifth year and he's a first. It wouldn't have been hard to stun him and leave the duel at that."

Abraxas' face changed colour for the umpteenth time that day. Before he could comment, the ten-minute bell rang. Abraxas, who had not touched his oatmeal before (losing house points and being hissed at seemed to have something to do with it), abandoned his decorum and wolfed down as much as he possibly could. Luna pocketed an apple. Selene managed to tear herself away from her conversation long enough to hug her around the middle.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. I flooed Uncle last night, and he would like to meet you."

Luna was not even given the chance to respond, as Selene ran off, dragging Algie in hand. She would like to meet her great-great uncle though. Abraxas had finished as much of his breakfast as he could, and turned to leave. As they rushed towards the third floor (transfiguration with Gryffindor was first) it looked like Abraxas was adding green to the collection of colours his face could turn. They reached the class with minutes to spare. The other students were already milling about the area. Luna followed Abraxas, where he stood next to a boy in Slytherin robes.

"How are the spider bites?"

"They itch horrendously," he made a show of scratching his arm. "If I see another spider ever again I'm going straight back to the hospital wing."

Just then, Doran Selwyn joined the group.

"Tom apparently found one in his soup last night."

"At least they're speaking to you," Luna whispered, nudging him in the ribs.

"Luna dear, who are you talking to?" Selwyn asked, raising his voice to a sickly-sweet tone. "It's not like there's someone who lost fifty-five house points standing there."

Greengrass forgot his itchy woes as he heard this.

"You did _what_?"

"Greengrass, stop talking to the wall."

"Sorry, this anti-itch salve must cause minor hallucinations."

They paired off, and made a point of standing across them in the hall. Abraxas looked torn between snapping at them and wallowing in despair. Luna was also torn, unsure whether or not she should comfort him. Luna did not care for being dismissed, and ignored. She had been through that enough in her short lifetime, and she did not want to see one of her fellow students go through it either. On the other hand, she didn't want to join the pity-party. He _had_ been trying to duel a first year in the hallway, and the irritation of students came with losing house points. Hopefully it was just boys being boys, and they would get over it.

Until then, she decided to not ignore Abraxas. He wasn't the only other thing that people called non-existent standing in the hall with them. When Dumbledore arrived, he decided to make a big event out of the new student that was in his potions class. He smiled warmly, and pushed her to the front of the room to introduce her to the others.

"This is Luna Lovegood, the newest Slyther- uh-" The professor was starting to take in her new tie colours now, realizing it was not just Slytherin green on it.

"I just have my classes with the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins."

"So you're a Lythhuffrin?" A Gryffindor asked.

"No."

"A Slylytrin?"

"That's not the name either."

Just like that, the class all started to chatter amongst themselves, as they tried to figure out what the proper name for her mixed house could be. Transfiguration was easily forgotten by the class, and Dumbledore was unable to keep control over his students once they had started. He didn't look too bothered by their distractions either, since he didn't make much of an effort to quiet them down again. He merely sat down at his desk, his blue eyes twinkling as the students speculated. The girl closest to the chalk board got up, and started to write possible combinations on it. Another student took their wand and wrote the words in the air. He mixed them around with stirring motions, looking for plausible answers to the class' new question.

"Huffepin?"

"Inslyth?"

"Hepuffsly?"

Only one mousy-looking boy thought to put up his hand.

"Professor, does this mean that we can join a half-house as well?"

Luna had thought that the first query had brought disruption to the classroom, but this one proved it was hardly anything. Sorting was a big deal after all, and greatly tied into people's families, who their friends were, and where they would go in life. There were also the little things that came with it: like where you slept, how your classes were organized, and if your sandwiches cut into triangular quarters or triangular halves at dinner. Now, all of the talk and speculation was directed to the professor, who was flooded with questions about resorting.

"The hat always said I could do well in Ravenclaw, but all of my family was in Gryffindor-"

"I don't even like the colour green!"

"I always forget the password to the common room!"

"The house system always did seem rather silly to me."

Eventually, Dumbledore decided to take control of the classroom once more. Shooting a rainbow of sparks out of his wand, he said, "That's enough. There are no split houses, and no one is being resorted."

A collective sigh ran through the class, as they settled back down. All except for the Gryffindor who had a part in commencing the trouble. He turned to Luna and asked, "So what house are you in?"

"Why Ravenclaw of course."

No one said anything for the remainder of transfiguration.

Luna had herbology with the Hufflepuffs after that. It was here that she met her year mates, although they were a little wary of her at first. There were two girls: Beatrice Diggory and Constance McKinney. There were only two boys as well: Brutus Smith, and John Perkins. Not many students, but Luna supposed that a war would do such a thing to the student population, even in Britain. She had noticed similar low numbers with the Slytherins as well, and how all of her classes were splits with the other houses.

Luna could only talk to them towards the end of the class. It was only when she stressed that she was not a part of the Chillamhou Conspiracy that they warmed up to her. They had simply wanted to protect the less-than-purebloods amongst them from bullying, which she understood. They agreed to meet up at lunch and talk for real once she had.

Abraxas was waiting for her outside of the greenhouse. He looked especially pale in the sunlight. He was like a ghost, standing amongst the vibrant emerald grass, and towering trees of the forest. Even the puffy white clouds looked dark in comparison to his complexion.

"Double potions next."

Something about his tone indicated that he was not eager to be heading towards this class. Luna was personally looking forwards to a bat-free learning environment. During her time, there was one particularly large bat in the dungeons, who liked to swoop down near the cauldrons of the students just to startle them. Luna was never alarmed, but that only caused the bat to be more vicious

"I sunburn easily, do you?"

"Yes," he laughed a little, and the lines of strain on his face vanished. "I suppose there isn't much light down there."

Luna waited for him to join arms with her. But instead, Abraxas pulled out his wand, and pointed it at her hands.

"Scourgify."

A jet of pink bubbles erupted from his wand, a soapy smell accompanying it. Her hands weren't _that_ dirty, but she had been digging holes to transplant the specimen. Abraxas must have realized that the biting bogles could have been spread through his hand-kissing. He hadn't tried to kiss her again when greeting her this time around,he must have known better than to risk it for a third time. The charm washed over hands, banishing the dirt from them with every pop of the suds. By the time they were dry, the bell for the start of class had already rung.

"Oh dear, it looks like we're going to be late."

"Slughorn won't get mad at us," Abraxas replied, adjusting his prefect badge. "He _did_ assign me to show you around school."

"He's much nicer than my old potions teacher. Sometimes I wondered how he didn't catch on fire in potions, given how greasy he was."

The look of confidence fell from his face.

"You don't think 'e will deduct any more 'ouse points, do you?"

Luna didn't have an answer for his question. Together, they ran towards the dungeons, their bags thumping against their backs, and their feet pounding loudly against the empty halls of the school. Luna saw that Abraxas had missed at least one shortcut on the way there, but she couldn't bring up its existence without looking suspicious. By the time they had reached the potions room, they were both out of breath.

The door to the class was already open, and Slughorn's voice could be heard, instructing them. Abraxas inhaled deeply, fixing his prefect badge. Then, he took the lead, brazenly walking into the classroom as if they were exactly on time. None of the Slytherin students looked at him, but Slughorn and some of the Gryffindors did. More eyes were drawn to her. She joined Abraxas at the only vacant spot, which was closest to the blackboard. Slughorn waited until they were both there to say anything.

"Abraxas Malfoy, did I not give you permission to leave your class five minutes early, to avoid being late?"

There were laughs from the Gryffindors, and the blind eye the Slytherins had turned to him remained solid. Not a single look of sympathy was sent his way.

"Yes sir."

"You already need all the time you can get with brewing," Slughorn continued. "So I suggest not letting it happen again."

More derisive laughter. Luna found herself intensely focusing upon what was happening around her, more grounded than she had felt in ages. She knew that Slughorn wasn't trying to insult him, but the other students were taking it as one, so it may as well have been a snarky comment. She could tell that Abraxas' unblinking eyes were starting at the wall behind Slughorn, and not at the teacher lecturing him. It reminded her too much of her own time in Ravenclaw. Those who were supposed to be her housemates, turning against her, the jokes at her expense.

"Please sir," Luna paused, startled by the sound of her slightly less dreamy voice, "it was my fault. I was in greenhouse three, and needed to wash my hands after. It's best to avoid that kind of contamination in potions. That's how the Pox of Reptrepstre is spread."

"Very well then. Now, seeing as you're ten minutes late, I will have to deduct ten points from erm-"

"Ravenclaw," she helpfully said.

"Ah yes, Dumbledore brought up his first period with the other staff members," he chuckled a little before continuing. "That's ten points from Ravenclaw Miss Lovegood."

Luna had no problem with her house losing any of their points, and simply nodded. Slughorn resumed what he was saying to the class.

"Now today and Monday, you'll be working with your assigned partner to brew a wound-cleaning potion. As you know from doing your _homework_ -" Slughorn stopped, taking a moment to glare at two whispering Gryffindor girls sitting in the back."-this one must simmer for least three nights, so I highly recommend that you get to that stage before class is over."

Smiling at his own joke, Slughorn sat down, and busied himself with marking a stack of papers on his desk. The other students already had their textbooks out, and were starting. Fumes of steam instantly rose from each caldron as the flame beneath them was turned on. Luna did not have a textbook yet, but they were luckily working in partners this day. Abraxas reluctantly pulled his out, and turned to the page written on the board.

Luna looked at the first instructions, and the ingredients that would be needed. Abraxas took off to the stock room, following the lead of half the class. Luna adjusted the flame intensity with her wand, until it was a happy orange, that barely brushed the bottom of the caldron. The steam became less intense, insuring that they would not lose too much of the water and stock potion base. Luna pushed up the sleeves of her robes and tucked her wand behind her ear, for safekeeping. Abraxas returned with the ingredients that they would need. He squinted at the tiny instructions in the textbook, frowning.

"I'll handle the dry stuff, you can measure the liquid."

He swallowed hard, and pulled out the liquid measure. While he started to pour the salamander blood from concentrate, Luna got out her mortar and pestle. She started to crush the dried horseradish root as specified. Throughout the classroom, identical clinking sounds could be heard as students crushed ingredients. The root, being dry, should have been easy to break up, but it seemed especially adept at slipping away from the pestle. A slight frown creased her face as she struggled to turn the dried root into powder. It refused to yield.

Luna decided that it would be easier to pulverize it if the roots was cut into smaller pieces first. The cutting board and knife were already out. She emptied the horseradish and made quick work of it. Strangely enough, more dust was produced this way than by crushing. Still, she scraped it all into the mortar with her hand, and went back to crushing. Soon she had the powder she had been looking for. The tinkling sounds of the mortar and pestle crashing together only got louder though, as students grew frustrated with their lack of results.

When she scraped the horseradish into the cauldron, it did not turn the right shade of red. It was closer to orange than it was to the deep red they were looking for. Did it need more time to dissolve? If so, then why were they supposed to have very little flame while preparing the potion? Luna made sure to keep her eye on the potion now, as she prepared the ginger leaves, which were to be chopped in equal parts. They were elliptical in form, the two sides meeting in a point at the end. The width of the leaf was mostly consistent, except near the ends. Further inspecting the leaves showed that they were actually the same width on the side that was attached to the plant's stem. It just tucked in there, making it appear otherwise. Luna peeled apart the leaf with her fingers. She could do this ease, she and Ginny had done it all the time, trying to make the grass whistle between their palms. Luna continued to shred the leaf like this, until the width of each section was even, except for near one of the very ends.

"What are you doing?" Abraxas asked.

Pausing, she looked at the cup of flobberworm slime he held.

"You need three-quarters to get the right thickness, not a half."

"What? I knew that," he scoffed, hastily pulling the cup away from the potion. "I just stopped filling the cup to ask about what you were doing."

"I'm making the ginger leaf more even."

"Oh."

"That's still not enough," she warned, before he could pour in the flobberworm slime.

"That's what happens when you try to distract me from what I'm doing," he said, just a little too loudly.

This drew the attention of the other (non-Slytherin) students. Not even a glare could stop them from laughing at his plight. Luna went back to preparing ingredients as needed. Soon, a magenta colour took up the room. The vapour from most of the cauldrons came up in distinct puffs, like the clouds outside. As they continued to work, it became more evident that their potion was still off.

Not as off as Selwyn's and a red-headed Gryffindor's appeared to be going, however. Theirs was flashing between electric blue and Chudley Cannons orange. It was clear that they were quietly bickering. Luna braced herself for disaster, and sure enough, it happened.

The contents started to froth madly, but neither wizard seemed to notice, or care. The cauldron began to overflow, the colour-changing effect still going. Most of the class stopped to watch, Luna and Abraxas included. The partners working closest to the danger zone abandoned their potions as the solution spread over the table and on to the floor. A hissing sound quickly followed, and steam started to rise from the table.

All of a sudden, Selwyn let out a frightening yell. He leaped out of the puddle. His Gryffindor counterpart did likewise. They both stumbled away, and the class watched in horror and amazement as their shoes and socks were eaten away. The potion did not stop there however. When it reached their feet, large, grey blisters started to split along the surface of their skin. The screams, as well as crashing of the table and everything on it as it melted to the floor, alerted Slughorn. He had had dozed off about five minutes into marking the schoolwork, but was now wide awake. In a feat of agility and strength Luna could never see the Slughorn from her time doing, he leapt into action, and pulled both boys away by the collar.

"Foolish, stupid, of all the ridiculous things to do in my classroom-"

Slughorn could barely get out a sentence as he tried to control the situation. He cast multiple scourgifies at the table with his wand, and banished the entire potion with the other hand.

"Someone take these two-" Slughorn struggled with his words again. "-take them to the hospital wing-"

Abraxas jumped at the chance. He levitated a whimpering Selwyn with a swish and flick of his wand. Another student did the same with the other victim. Slughorn continued to clean up the mess, clearly in a temper. He must have been mad that his nap was interrupted. The other students went back to their potion-making, and tried to be as quiet as they possibly could. Luna got the feeling they did not want to set the normally cheery man off.

Luna took this as the chance to try to fix the quality of the potion. There clearly wasn't enough of certain liquid ingredients in their potion. Luna did some math in her head, estimating how much water they had lost throughout the process, and how much would be needed to balance things out. Next came the little bit of extra potion base that was needed. She had to add a pinch more of everything in, but there was always a little extra left behind. The only thing she had to get more of was knotgrass. Once she had untied the blades and tossed them in the cauldron, the potion darkened, becoming the magenta that it should have been.

By the time Abraxas returned, the class was nearly over. Their potion was still behind the others, because she had to improvise, and there was only one of her to do so. The bell rang, and they were dismissed for lunch. But they had to remain behind, so their potion could reach the same state of the others' (minus one) potions. Abraxas longingly watched his friends leave the room, without so much as a glance back at him. They finished the first stage of the potion around five minutes after the bell had rung, but it may have been the entire lunch period for how pained Abraxas looked. Slughorn was looking over their potion just as they were about to leave the room. Then, he called out to them;

"Just a minute now."

"Yes, _Sir_?"

"I don't want Miss Lovegood late to class again. So, Mister Malfoy, you have permission to leave ten minutes, no, you were both out of breath, let's say an additional fifteen minutes, just to be safe!"

Abraxas looked absolutely stunned, then, he smiled.

"Thank-you sir."

By how large his smile grew as they left the dungeons, one never would have known how much he hated potions.

"I just got a free pass to leave class, _fifteen_ minutes early."

"Just until I find my way around," Luna said.

"Oh please tell me you have a horrible sense of direction," he pleaded.

Luna found herself smiling. For some unfathomable reason, she was starting to like him.

"A strange thing to wish for, but I'll see what I can do."

* * *

As they approached the Great Hall, Ruoho Greengrass was leaving, cradling one of his arms in his hand.

"Hospital wing?" Abraxas asked.

To Luna's surprise, he actually acknowledged Abraxas' existence.

"Lucretia asked Tom to recreate what he did with the spider in his soup last night," Greengrass mumbled, turning green.

"Selwyn's in there too."

"I know. He lost even more points than you and Cygnus combined."

So that was why he knew Abraxas existed now. At least the bout of invisibility that he had been through was over. Luna and Abraxas parted ways from there. He went to the Slytherin table, while she walked over to the Hufflepuffs. Her year mates were already sitting there, and talking amongst themselves. There was a break in the conversation, as they all greeted her.

There were only four Hufflepuffs in her year, another testament to just how small the world was in 1943. Luna sat in between Beatrice Diggory and John Perkins. John did the hand-kissing thing to her (the school healer really needed to do something about the biting bogles that were going around), and Brutus, who sat next to John, rolled his eyes.

"So Luna, tell us about-" Brutus yawned loudly. "Yourself."

Brutus had dark circles and messy brown hair. He had slept through most of their herbology class, only staying awake long enough to listen to the teacher's instructions before passing out. Luna thought back to how Slughorn had been napping in sleeping in class. Could this be an unforeseen side effect of the biting bogles that were going around?

"All of my family has a bit of a travelling bug, which is why I didn't come to Hogwarts until this year."

Beatrice groaned at this. Luna hoped that her lie had not been discovered, she wanted the secret to last a little longer than this. Dumbledore had promised her a rare chocolate frog card if the time she estimated (near the end of the school year) would be correct. Luna thought he might know better than to make bets with a person who was from the future and possibly knew the outcome (she didn't, but she could have), but it seemed that he was willing to give up the chocolate frog card.

"Don't tell me you'll be trying to sneak into the Forbidden Forest as well!"

"Selene's been doing it since her first year," said John, "and now that I'm a prefect, I always wind up being the one to chase after her."

"I'll make sure not to get caught," Luna promised.

"How are you and Selene related?" John asked.

"We just call each other cousin. Sometimes it's best to not know how you're related to someone."

The two purebloods at the table, Beatrice and John, nodded in understanding.

"Can you tell me anything about the Chamber of Secrets?" She asked.

"Ah, seen that in the paper have you?"

"It was awful!" Beatrice said.

The word awful was in her sentence, yet she still seemed rather excited about the event.

"They found Myrtle Warren in the second-floor bathroom," John said. "No one even noticed she was gone until hours later."

"Constance and I were part of the party searching for her."

"You two must be close, being the only Hufflepuff fifth years."

Constance did not look up or say anything. She was eating food, off in her own little world. The others noticed that she was looking at her.

"Don't mind her. She was in London during one of those muggle attacks, and lost her hearing."

There was an awkward pause, as she let the information sink in. Just another reminder of the war. It was easy to see why the students of this time were much more subdued. The world seemed like it was going to crumble around them, and it was impossible to escape the destruction that was left in the wake of the war.

"Oh."

"I've got one of those new-fangled dicta-quills," Beatrice bent over, and went through her school bag. "Here, it'll make the conversation easier, at least until you pick up more signs."

The quill was a soft blue colour, and it had white speckles on it. Beatrice also got her a bottle of ink and some parchment paper.

"It's nice to meet you."

Luna had been expecting a Rita Skeeter-like reaction from the quill, but it did not embellish upon anything that was written. The words she had spoken were there, without any of the ridiculous prose found in her Daily Prophet articles. Constance looked up when she saw the scribbling of the quill, and smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you as well," Her voice was a little low, but still coherent.

"Can you read lips too?"

There was another pause in the conversation, as she read the message.

"I'm still learning. Sign language as well."

"We're studying it together," Beatrice said. "We're going to have a competition, right after exams are over, so see who knows the most out of us."

Brutus, whose eyes had been drooping throughout the entire conversation, suddenly dropped his head face-first into his mashed potatoes and pork chop. The hot gravy did not seem to bother him.

"Ugh, one of these days he's going to drown himself," said John.

Constance pulled his head off the plate, and cast a scourgify on him. Brutus stirred slightly, but he did not seem to mind.

"Is he a were-vampire?" Luna asked. "That would explain why he's so tired."

"What? Don't be silly. There's no such thing as a were-vampire," John scoffed. "And if there was, they wouldn't let it into Hogwarts."

"There would be such a thing if a werewolf and a vampire had a baby."

"Why would a vampire want to do that with a-"

"Gross. Besides, the full moon is only _one_ day of the month."

"If Brutus was a were-vampire, he would be greatly affected by the power of the night, which is why he wants to sleep now."

"You know, come to think of it, he _does_ have the rarest pork chop out of all of us," Beatrice said.

"Oh, not you too!" John said. "Brutus is _not_ a were-vampire!"

Just as the conversation was starting to get interesting, Abraxas walked up.

"Hey, what's the deal with the Slytherin?"

"I'm showing her around the school," Abraxas said, grinning triumphantly at the group. "Miss Lovegood is an honorary Slytherin you know."

"Well she's an honorary Hufflepuff, too. We can show her around from now on."

Had she known that her thin excuse of scheduling conflicts to get new house experiences would end up this way, Luna might have simply stuck to full Ravenclaw. Although, she found herself enjoying all of the new attention, from two different houses no less.

"That's a very kind offer, but I have special permission from my head of house to show her around the premises until she is comfortable."

The bell then rang, more or less putting an end to the discussion. But judging by the looks on everyone's faces, this would not be the end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am at the bottom, ready to tell more facts!
> 
> Ruoho: Luxembourgish for grass.
> 
> All sign language in the story is real BSL, British Sign Language.


	3. Dandelion Fluff

It had rained the previous night, but the skies were clear that day. The sun was up, drying the grass and airing out the trees, after the long wash they had been through in April. It was just barely the start of May, and so the ground was perpetually soaked with water. Luna had enchanted her shoes to be impervious to the mud that squelched underneath their feet. She had done the same with Selene's, and she was delighted to exploit this. She ran ahead, sliding along the muddy trail that lead down from Hogwarts. The path was so slick, it was like gliding across ice. Even the grass had been flattened by the run-off, meaning that it was unlikely anyone would get to Hogsmeade without slipping at least once.

For that reason, not many students were on the visit. The few who were all had tried different methods of reaching the village without falling in the mud. A group of third years had applied sticking charms to their shoes, thinking it would stop them from falling. It did, but not in the way they had anticipated. Their shoes had to be left behind, stuck, sinking into the mud, while the students went to find someone who knew the counter charm for it. One girl was being carried, bridal-style, by her boyfriend. She obviously thought it was quite romantic and chivalrous, based upon the smug expression she wore. It didn't last however, as his arms gave out and she landed in a big puddle.

Luna's own attempt consisted of transfiguring a near-by stick into a wooden toboggan. She persuaded Selene to join her, and together, they pushed off. The toboggan was uncooperative at first, merely sinking into the soil.

"We have to break it out of position," Selene said.

"Alright, lean left."

They leaned in that direction. Then, to the other. By doing this a few more times, they were able to inch the toboggan out of the rut. Selene (who was sitting in the front) leaned forwards. Luna started to push the ground with her heels, moving them. All of a sudden, they were racing down the hill at a breakneck speed. Water, grass, and mud flew up around them, landing in their laughing mouths and getting in their eyes. Both their school robes were flapping wildly behind them, and Selene's hair got in her face. Luna's world was obscured with dirty-blonde hair. She untangled herself from it so she could see, but almost immediately tried to hide her face again. They were going to crash right into the gates of Hogwarts.

"Turn right, turn right!"

Fiercely grabbing the underside of the toboggan, they leaned with all their might, trying to slow them down. Luna's sleeve got caught in the runner. There was a loud rip as the fabric was torn, and she jerked her arm free. Just then, the spell wore off, and their ride became a stick once more. The sled may have stopped, but they did not. Luna and Selene rolled the rest of the way down the hill, only coming to a stop when they hit the entrance. They sat there, widely grinning and panting, with their backs to the gate. Already Luna could see the teacher in charge of security coming down the hill to meet them. Not even Dumbledore was above falling however, and he took a tumble of his own, trying to reach them.

"Well that was quite the adventure," said Selene, pushing the hair out of her eyes. "Do you think they'll let us do the same thing off the grounds?"

Luna couldn't answer, she was still feeling too giddy.

"Are you both alright?"

"Just a little dizzy."

Selene shook her head and was instantly back on her feet again. Water was starting to soak through her robe now. Not being very fond of the sensation, Luna rose to her feet as well. She was still seeing double, but a small hop in place cured her of this problem. Now, she smiled innocently at Dumbledore, hoping that it would be enough to stop them from getting in trouble.

"I see you put that transfiguration of transportation spell from my class into some good use."

"Yes Sir. We didn't account for the gate, however."

He laughed good-naturedly at this.

"Given how quickly you were going, that seems like a given. I suggest you simply walk down to the village, and use a few good scourgifies before you meet with your uncle."

"We will," Selene dutifully said.

"Oh, and ten points to Ravenclaw for a rather solid use of transfiguration."

They took Dumbledore's advice, washing off their robes and shoes as much as they could before entering the Three Broomsticks. The water had been cold, soaking them to the bone, but it was nothing that a seat near the fire and two orders of butterbeer could not fix. Other students were doing the same. They took off their coats and shoes, leaving them to dry near the fire.

Luna sat quietly in her seat, savouring the sweet taste of her drink, and the pleasantly warm sensation that flickered within her chest. She had always wanted a larger family. A brother, a sister, cousins (first cousins, that weren't also half-siblings, or some other ridiculous thing), anything really. Luna closed her eyes. She imagined that all of the hustle and bustle going around were family members, like the Weasleys. They were all gathered together, laughing, talking, enjoying each other's company. Family had always consisted of people who had the same interests as her, they believed in the same things, and never dismissed each other. Above all, there was the wonderful knowledge that someone cared for you, and you cared for them.

She had felt some of this with her friends in present time, but they often wrote her off as incorrigible, or strange when it came to some of her ideas. Luna actually found it odd that the people of the past had not done so as much as those in her own time did. There was something quite wonderful about that as well.

The flames in the fireplace roared, yet the heat dimmed. Luna did not need to open her eyes to know that someone had arrived through the floo. She did however, eager to meet her great-great uncle. She rose to her feet, and offered a hand to him. He shook it, while accepting a hug from his niece with the other.

"You must be Luna."

"This is Uncle Toghairm." Selene said, doing the introductions for them. "He married into the Lovegoods."

Toghairm was tall, Selene barely reached his stomach while hugging him. He had a wiry body, but his face was round.

"It's good to meet you."

"Likewise."

He smiled thinly at her. Luna got the impression it was not out of impoliteness, but the other, invisible things that troubled him. Toghairm leaned back on the heels of his shoes. There was a peculiar expression on his face. It made Luna think that he was trying to fall back into a previous life, so that he could escape his own. The only thing Toghairm fell into was his seat. He shook off his coat, and rested his umbrella against the vacant seat at their table for four.

"You look so much like her..."

With a sigh, he turned away from her. She had compared so many people and their minor resemblances to those she knew in the future, and now it was happening to her. It almost took Luna by surprise to hear this.

"I don't suppose you got the owl I sent yesterday?" Selene asked.

"No, no. Owley-" He cringed slightly when saying the name. "- _our owl_ has always been a bit of a slow flier, and it's a two-day journey at best."

"There have been talks about shutting school down since the attack."

A waitress stopped by to take Toghairm's order. There was a pause in the conversation as he asked for a drink.

"I've heard. Dippet's mad if he thinks he'll get it closed without an enormous fight. Unless someone who isn't a muggleborn is hurt that is. I wouldn't worry though, seeing as this-" He smiled at Luna. "-Hogwarts student is with us."

"The school will remain open," Luna assured.

It suddenly struck her _why_ Hogwarts remained open. Someone was framed. Hagrid, a person who shared her love of magical creatures, would be framed and expelled. It was another little tidbit of information that she had gotten from not Ginny, but Harry. The one who framed Hagrid was one Tom Riddle. Suddenly, she had trouble focusing upon the conversation they were having.

"Of course. Just look at all the students that have come overseas to go to Hogwarts. Malfoys, that Lestrange bunch, Rosiers, all the _pureblood_ students. Even if a lot of 'em are Frenchies, at least half the board won't send them back to the warzone over there."

A glass of firewhisky was deposited in front of him. He thanked the waitress, and then took a sip.

"Don't they have places to stay here?" Selene asked. "Where else would they go in the summer?"

"They're not British magical citizens," He waved off. "There's a whole buncha' complicated legal problems that the Ministry has set up. They don't want to anger Grindelwald further by truly takin' them in, so it's being done unofficially. Long story short: so long as they're here for school, and have a friend's house to stay at, they can remain in the country."

Toghairm tipped his head back, and drained the rest of his firewhisky.

"Uncle works for the Ministry now that we're back in Britain," said Selene, who was clearly trying to steer the topic elsewhere. "He's the current head of the Centaur Liaison Office."

"And the only employee."

"It's still an important job," she insisted.

Toghairm laughed, and for a moment, Luna caught a glimpse of an entirely different man. The wrinkles on his face seemed less tight, and the shock of white hair on his head didn't make him seem old.

"It's hardly a job. I don't think a centaur has ever set foot into the Ministry, let alone the office."

"Have you met a herd before?" Luna asked. "The Forbidden Forest has one, but they usually sent me back when I tried to stargaze with them. They seemed to think I was making fun of the way they talked for some reason. But Firenze... He was nice. I was in his class for a bit. I'm not taking divination this time around though."

"I did, when Achelois and I were in Greece. We had a wonderful time. Wizard and magical creature relations there are much better over the pond than here. They were incredibly friendly," his voice became dreamy, and his eyes, vacant. "You look very much like her, Luna."

Again, Luna got the impression that Toghairm did not want to be here, with them. He was tall, and his robes a bottle green, but his hair was white. It was an uncombed mess, sticking out every which way. He was like dandelion fluff, ready to go wherever the wind pulled him without a moment's hesitation. The war meant that he was rooted in Britain however, and not floating across Europe.

"I've never met a centaur before," Selene piped up.

"You have. Your mother asked the leader of the herd to name you after you were born."

"Yes but I don't _remember_ it."

"I'm sure we could meet the ones in the Forbidden Forest," Luna said.

"Right after exams and quidditch. I don't want us to lose too many points."

"Excellent!" She clapped her hands together. "There was an article on the proper greeting etiquette in the latest of the- oh."

Luna realized just how much she was going to miss things like this, so long as she was in the past. No more deliveries of her favourite reading material, no more editing articles, or playing with the magical printing press. She had lost one family member, yet gained two. She had also lost the friends she had finally been starting to make, after five long years of near-friendless schooling. In that one moment, she missed it all terribly. Everything that she had just lost flashed before her eyes. Her favourite scarf, the smell of her home, the lazy summer days she and Ginny spent together...

"Oh?"

"My dad is the owner of a magazine. But it doesn't exist now."

Her voice came out more strangled than she had wanted it to be. Selene knew what she was feeling, and patted her on the back.

"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere."

"That reminds me, you'll be needing, some, well, everything."

Toghairm reached into his coat, and pulled out a shrunken sack of gold. He tapped it with his wand, making it even larger than it had already appeared to be. Luna's eyes grew as wide as the galleons inside of it as he pushed the entire bag towards her. This was already a lot in her time. The money could probably buy her all her Hogwarts supplies. For seven years. Then she had to take inflation into account. Everything would cost much less in this time.

"I-I-"

"I would have wound up spending that much on you anyway," he said, knowing that she wanted to object to the amount of gold in front of her.

"We don't know how long I'll be here for. I might never get to use what I buy."

"Whatever happens, happens."

The look on his face made it clear that he did not agree with her. The idea that he knew something she didn't briefly touched her mind. Luna chose not to fight it however, and she graciously accepted the money he had given to her.

"You're keyed into the Lovegood vault at Gringotts," Togairm continued. "They're no strangers to your ah, type of predicament, it seems. They also suggested that you take out a subscription for the Daily Prophet, as well as read the old ones on file at school."

"Oh! That reminds me! You should read _the Time Twisting Adventures of Ted Turner_!"

"Isn't that a comic?" He asked.

"It's historical fiction as well," she corrected. "That means you'll be more versed in recent events! It's chock-full of advice on time-travel, too."

"Read," he summed up, "try your best to learn the customs of those around you."

"I will."

Toghairm stood, he stretched his long arms. Then, he pulled his coat back on, and grabbed his umbrella.

"I would join you with your shopping, but alas, the Centaur Liaison Office needs me."

"He means his lunch break is over," Selene whispered to her.

"It was good to meet you," Luna said.

With a clink of silver, Toghairm placed money for all of their drinks on the table.

"Likewise. I'll see you both at King's Cross."

He tipped his head towards both of them. Selene rolled her eyes and went to hug her uncle. Luna smiled, not knowing what her proper (at least proper in her eyes) response should have been. Taking a pinch of floo powder from the mantle, he threw it into the fire, and called out, "Ministry of Magic, Centaur Liaison Office!"

With their drinks finished and paid for, they exited the pub. Luna and Selene parted ways here. Selene wanted to meet with Algie at Honeydukes, and Luna knew it would take some time for her to get fitted for new robes. Luna walked along the cobblestone road, enjoying the sunny day, and the friendly people around her. It was nice to see wizards and witches not panicking over a dark lord, even if one did exist right now.

People were talking, waving at those they knew, no one had their head down. Hogsmeade was almost unchanged, barring a few differences. Some stores were different colours, and the road naturally looked a little less trodden upon. There were few places that she didn't recognize. Many of them had been there since the founding of the village after all.

Luna arrived at Gladrags Wizardwear, ready to get her wardrobe in order. Luna liked to mix and match her clothes, especially between time periods. It was strange to be in a time where things like long skirts and gingham dresses were in style. Luna browsed through the store first. There were other students in as well, looking at the clothing they had to offer. But Luna paid no mind to them, and the silly little criticisms each girl made about a certain style or pattern.

Gladrags, being a magical clothing store, offered their clothes with many different properties. Things like being waterproof, anti-shrink, and being able to grow with a person were all common abilities for clothing items to have. Luna was especially drawn to the stockings that had charmed patterns on them. There was one pair that were sky-blue. Green and red dragons flew around the stockings, chasing each other and breathing little spurts of fire. Luna watched it for at least five minutes, and the spell didn't loop. She realized it would be too distracting to wait and see just how long the chase went on for before it repeated, and decided not to purchase them.

The next pair of stockings that caught her attention were white. A blur of green then circled around, spiraling upwards while a trail of gold coins followed behind. When the stocking was filled with gold coins, the blur stopped and waved at her. It was a leprechaun. When Luna went to pick them up however, they made a very loud rattling sound, as if all the coins were crashing together. Everyone in the store immediately looked, wondering what the source was. She set them back down, deciding they were too noisy for her taste.

The third time was the charm, however, as she found a pair of stockings with blooming flowers on them. Grass sprouted at the top of them, while the multi-coloured flowers grew downwards, and opened around her ankles and toes. Luna was reminded of the brilliant glaring light that came from a room in the Department of Mysteries. The hummingbird there had done the same thing the stockings did: growing to it's full age before reverting back. Right away, Luna knew that she had to buy them.

She then purchased two mundane pairs in neutral colours. One was waterproof, and the other would not develop runs, no matter how many things snagged on it. Next, she found a lovely raincoat. It was black and white patterned. There were no magical properties to it, but when she moved in the coat, it almost appeared as if the complicated line patterns were moving as well. Luna then found skirts, blouses, socks, and all the undergarments she would need.

Next came the robe-fitting, as she would need four more school robes, and preferably three for every-day wear. The woman taking the measurements was much better than Madame Malkin. Not once was her arm poked by a pin, nor was she asked embarrassing questions about the width of her hips, or if she was going to grow any taller. The woman was quick, and her enchanted measuring tape seemed to know what to do before she even said anything.

There was a Quick-Quotes Quill and pad of paper that hovered next to the woman as she took every number. Seeing as it wasn't writing any malicious rumours (to cover up the existence of the pig-nosed lecteateath naturally) Luna did not mind. The quill couldn't exactly embellish upon numbers after all. But as the notes floated by her, Luna noticed that it was still writing in a ridiculous prose.

_The tape measure deftly wrapped around the subject's arm, like a vicious basilisk, constricting its helpless prey. Through wrapping around the girl's arm, it was possible to see the numbers that were written upon them, and determine the width of her arm. 21.59 centimeters was the circumference around the arm that was being measured by the tape measure that constricted the one being measured's arm like a basilisk-_

Basilisks didn't even _constrict_ , they used poison and petrification! Well, at least it had gotten the number right. The Quick Quotes Quill went on to repeat what happened but with the a different choice of words (and no punctuation) at least three times. Luna read it all, every time the notes got near enough for her to see.

Being fitted was the last thing to do in the store. The woman working the register was nice enough to shrink her shopping bags down for her. She packaged them in a box, and sent them up to the school with an owl. They would be deposited on her bed, waiting for her. Luna left the store supposedly empty-handed, but with a wide smile on her face. She had not bought an entire wardrobe, but she did have a lot of clothing.

Gladrags was only one store of many in the world, and she refused to let all her clothes be from the same place. Luna found yarn, a package of different coloured threads, as well as two bolts of fabric that she liked. She received a pair of knitting needles for free with the yarn, and she purchased one for crocheting. Now she could make herself a few different clothing items, that no one else would have. It was nowhere close to the amount of supplies she had at home, but she could not spend the money she had on the entire store, either.

With clothes finally out of the way, Luna went to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop to pick up parchment, quills, and ink for herself. She bought a spell-checking quill, and spell-checking ink, should the former ever wind up taken by the ashrays. Luna had thought about putting in an order at the post office for her textbooks, but the end of the term was almost there. She would simply use the school's until summer.

Luna was going to find Selene and walk back to school for lunch, but she then saw her through the window of Madam Puddifoot's with a boy who clearly wasn't Algie Longbottom. Luna smiled, and she waved at her grandmother. Selene enthusiastically waved back, while her date buried his face into his hands.

While Luna made her way up the hill to school, she encountered Not-Harry-Potter (She was still very fond of the nickname she had given him.) walking on the way down. Seeing how he was trying not to slide all the way to Hogsmeade, she said, "If the toboggan hadn't worked so well, I would have used a siphoning charm to push away the water."

"What?"

"I suppose it doesn't matter, so long as you get up after you fall. And you know how to scourgify without tearing your clothes."

He rolled his eyes, and continued walking.

"They're not going to close down Hogwarts you know."

The words had tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself. But here she was, altering the future by messing with the past. Luna wondered if her slip-up would be enough for him to realize the secret that she was hiding. Dumbledore would lose the bet they had made though. She was almost looking forwards to getting a chocolate frog card of Agatha Chubb from him.

"What?"

Luna noticed he said that a lot, in what seemed like a perpetually annoyed voice.

"Did you know that the current ratio of Slytherins on the school board is, as opposed to the other houses?"

"Ugh, Loony."

During her stay in the past, this was the first time she heard the insult. Luna had hoped she had left it behind, but that did not appear to be so. It stung, but she did not let it show. Instead, Luna turned around, bent on convincing him that she was not loony, and knew what she was talking about.

"Honestly," she said, huffing with her best Hermione voice. "Do any of the Slytherins seem worried about the school closing? Or any purebloods at all? I guess you just don't understand."

His eyes flashed dangerously, and Luna realized that she might have not wanted to push him. He didn't do or say anything to her, but she had the feeling that he strongly wanted to. She resumed her walk back to school, deciding to dwell upon it at another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toghairm: Irish for summons. (Which will make a painful amount of sense later in the story.)


	4. Enemies of the Heir Bewarb

Luna was sitting with the Slytherins for dinner that day. She had worked out a schedule for where she would eat, based upon the position of the clouds in the Great Hall. They would direct her to the table that had the more desirable food, and their indications had not been wrong yet.

That evening, they were enjoying fisherman's pie.

Each pie had a golden crust to it. When broken, steam poured out of it. Underneath, there was a layer of buttered mashed potatoes. By digging through it, slices of onion and pieces of haddock rested, like treasures buried beneath. With each forkful she pulled out of the pie, a cloud of steam, and a long trail of melted cheese followed. Luna was greatly enjoying the meal, especially the extra cheese that seemed to exist in the pies that their table alone. Hogwarts food just seemed to be more delicious in the past than it was in the present, and she couldn't get enough of anything on the menu.

Abraxas had a week of detention for sneaking Orion and Cygnus out to Hogsmeade the previous day. His detention was scheduled during dinner, as to not interfere with his prefect rounds. It seemed that the only thing that had stopped the two boys from hiding under his over-sized cloak was the fact that no one could get down the hill without slipping once. On the command of Walburga Black, Luna sat between Ignatius Prewett and Lucretia, to prevent them from doing anything "uncouth," as she put it.

"Is it just me, or is this starting to look like a letter?"

Lucretia groaned, and Ignatius made a face. Vihanta (the older Greengrass sibling) let her long hair obscure the view for her. Luna stopped chewing her food as she looked at the swollen, red bite marks on Ruoho Greengrass' arm. Walburga summed up what they were all thinking as they stared at the spider bites

"None of us want to see this at dinner, Greengrass."

"It _does_ look like a letter," Luna said. "Sort of an E? No, they're joined together at the ends. I'd say a B."

"You really think so?"

"You know, Beatrice Diggory had a similar problem at lunch a few days ago."

"The bites?"

"The letter too. She also had a B, but she thought it was mother nature making fun of her."

Suddenly, Luna had the strangest desire to get up and compare the bites on Beatrice to Ruoho's. She took the arm that wasn't filled with swollen bites, and walked him over to the Hufflepuff table. As they headed in that direction, he caught on to what she was doing.

"Don't tell me we're actually going over to _talk_ to that blood traitor."'

"I don't like that those words."

"Oh?"

"Yes, too many Os."

"The Greengrass family tries keeps a policy of neutrality on all big issues," he softly said, glancing back at the table. "But I can't guarantee that I won't say that stuff around the others."

"The letter Q is so much nicer looking than O."

They reached the table. Ruoho looked torn between yelling obscenities at their fifth years to keep up appearances, and understanding what she was doing by dragging him over here.

"Do you still have those bites?" Luna asked.

Beatrice rolled up her sleeve, revealing the same B-shaped spider bites. There were streaks across her skin, it was clear that she had been scratching with her long nails. The others at the table gagged when they spotted them.

"You both have them."

"I can see _that_ ," Ruoho said, "it wasn't like I didn't believe you."

"Do you think anyone else has them?"

Selene, having seen her approach the Hufflepuff table, came over to them. She was dragging Algie with her, and it was he who answered her question.

"My sister, Augusta, has bites. She's in Gryffindor."

"She _was_ in the hospital wing with them as well," Ruoho grudgingly admitted.

"Could you get her?" She asked.

Algie nodded, and he went to the Gryffindor table. He returned with a stern-looking girl, who promptly pulled up her sleeve without a word. Constance spat out her water, spraying John. Disgusted beyond words, John rose to his feet and left the table. He took a plate topped with a slice of pie with him.

"This one isn't a B," Selene said.

"No, it looks much more like an E."

"And mine doesn't?" Ruoho asked.

"Nope."

"There must be more students with letters."

"ATTENTION STUDENTS OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY! DOES ANYONE HAVE SPIDER BITES THAT MAY OR MAY NOT FORM SOME SORT OF LETTER ON THEIR ARM? IF SO, PLEASE COME FORWARDS!"

Selene's voice was so loud, she may as well have used a sonorous charm to achieve the effect. Brutus was startled out of his sleepy stupor, and even Constance seemed to be surprised by the sound. Naturally, the attention of the entire Great Hall was drawn to the small crowd of different houses that were at the Hufflepuff table. Two more students appeared out of the woodwork: a Gryffindor, and a Ravenclaw. They showed their arms as well, and so the letters W and A were added to the list. But that did not spell any word that Luna was familiar with. More students gathered around, wondering what was going on. Some even offered their suggestions for what the words could be.

"Beawb?"

"Weabb?"

"Bew Ba?"

"None of those make any sense."

All of a sudden, Ruoho developed a sly, yet smug look on his face. He seemed to know whatever he was going to say would cause more turmoil. He was enjoying the chaos around them as much as Luna was. Causing trouble like this was far more interesting than simply eating her dinner and listening to some of the Slytherins praise themselves.

"You know, I saw Tom scratching his arm in the hallway."

That was enough to send the flood of students to the Slytherin table, where Not-Harry-Potter had been sullenly poking at his meal. A semi-circle of people formed around him. Only Luna was not a part of the ring. She stood in front of Tom, waiting expectantly. The other Slytherins may have unabashedly stared at the mix-matched group, but Tom took his time. He slowly put down his fork, and dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. When it became obvious that they were all still standing there, and would not leave him alone, he turned around.

"May I help you?"

"We're trying to find all the students with spider-bites that form letters."

Tom seemed to know that he could not argue against the entire crowd. He stared at Luna, his eyes suspicious and calculating. Luna stared back, she refused to blink, even as she sensed the push of someone's legilimency against her own mind. It was rather clumsy-feeling in her own opinion, he was most likely still learning how to do so. He tried to casually scan the surface of her mind, but it felt more like he was placing a magnifying glass to her forehead and peering inside.

Her father had warned her against this type of thing. There was a certain species of dungeon-dwelling bat that could perform it, and it might then pass the information it gleaned to its allies: the vampires. Luna didn't know true occlumency, and so she did the next best thing: ceased forcing herself to think about one thing at a time. The boy who was standing next to Augusta looked like he would make a very good snail animagus. She wondered why the school had such a terrible spider problem, before recalling that there was a b- _no_. Luna let the thought slip from her hands, torn away by the wind tugging at the stack of parchment she carried.

Tom did not break eye-contact, even as he rolled up his sleeve, to reveal the bright red R emblazoned on his inner arm. The letters swirled before her eyes, and suddenly, she had her word.

"Bewarb."

"Bewarb?"

Luna shook her head affirmative, finally looking away from him

"Bewarb."

"Are you sure this isn't just a misspelling of beware?" Ruoho asked. "One of those Bs _did_ look like an E."

"It's German." Luna explained.

"Luna?"

Algie tugged on the sleeve of her robe. She smiled down at him, trying to soothe his nerves.

"Yes?"

"Isn't Grindelwald German?"

"Enemies of the heir, beware," Luna said. "Even if nobody's quite sure where he originated from, it could very well be Germany, or somewhere in Eastern Europe."

"So is it just a misspelling of _beware_ or-?"

Everyone had been drawing different conclusions on what the word could possibly mean. But when Luna brought up the Chamber of Secrets (no one seemed to notice that she somehow knew the message) they all started to come to an agreement on what this meant.

"Luna! You don't think that _Grindelwald_ is the one who opened the Chamber, do you?"

An excited whisper went through the crowd, and everyone turned to talk to their neighbor about the new information. Luna's chance to answer the question was ripped from her hands, by none other than Tom Riddle. He leaped on the opportunity to push the blame for the incident elsewhere, a scapegoat that was believable. His face was neutral, but his eyes gleamed brightly and excitedly.

"He _is_ an extreme blood purist."

" _And_ , he's been trying to get a foothold in Britain," Vihanta chimed in. "Hogwarts is where you're guaranteed to find students of less-than-pure origins."

There was a tense moment, as the group started to notice how big of a mixture between houses and status existed. Luckily, it was at this point that the Headmaster decided to see what was going on at the Slytherin table.

"Now, now. What's happening here?" Dippet asked, cutting through the crowd.

"Luna discovered who the Heir of Slytherin is Sir!" Algie said.

Dippet's eyes darted between Tom and Luna. Then, he flushed a bright red, and Luna recalled how angry he had been when she accused Tom Riddle of opening the Chamber. He had almost wanted to toss her out of the school, then and there.

"Miss Lovegood, I will _not_ have you spreading vicious rumours around the school."

"But Sir-" Algie continued.

"I won't hear any of it until I see hard proof."

Just like that, all of the students with bites rolled up their sleeves again, revealing the message spelt upon them.

"It's Grindelwald Sir!" Algie said. "He's trying to take over Hogwarts with the spiders!"

"What? Preposterous! The rest of you go back to your seats!"

The crowd reluctantly filed back to their tables. Now envious looks were being shot at the Slytherins, where the students could still hear the on-going conversation. As Luna thought about things, it was probably better to use a mass-murderer as a scapegoat, rather than an innocent student. She decided to play along with the blame game.

"Sir, you have to remember that Grindelwald is a dark wizard, known for his experiments in necromancy. It would be easy for him to reanimate something as simple as a spider, and instruct it to bite people."

Dippet only looked at her in confusion. It was Tom jumping into their discussion that saved the Headmaster from dismissing all of the theories that had been posed.

"The spiders we see around school are venomous. We just don't think of them as so, because it would take thousands of bites for the venom to work on the smallest of first years."

"Nonsense! There wasn't a single mark on Miss Warren's body!"

"But there _were_ many pimples," Luna said.

This only earned her another strange look, but Tom was willing to grasp at any straws she would offer.

"Bites to the face would be indistinguishable."

"But there weren't _thousands_ of them Tom."

"Maybe he glamoured poisonous spiders to look like common spiders."

"Sir, if Grindelwald can raise spiders from the dead to obey his commands, then why couldn't he charm them to be venomous as well?"

Luna said things before Tom, yet it took his own ideas and reworded sentences to make the Headmaster accept the idea. There was something about the smooth, confident way that made the Headmaster nod along with what Tom said. The way he spoke made her ideas sound more realistic than she thought was possible, and Luna knew that every word that came out of their mouths right now was a blatant lie.

The fact that they had linked spiders to Grindelwald because of a word that might not even be German seemed to have escaped Headmaster Dippet. Luna then knew then and there Tom could effortlessly persuade the man into thinking black was white and up was down if he wanted to.

"Both of those ideas were quite plausible," he said. "But what do we do?"

It seemed that Dippet was not even aware that he was asking _children_ for help to solve a very deadly problem.

"Surely the house elves could kill them all."

Dippet frowned at the idea, the first time he had done so with anything that Tom had said.

"They'd have to stop doing all the other maintenance things for that day."

"I always thought that Hogwarts should go on a field trip somewhere beyond Hogsmeade."

"I believe she means that we should go out for the day, Sir."

"Kelpie spotting sounds nice. We could ask the elves to pack us a lunch the night before."

Tom looked like he was struggling to keep a straight face when she suggested they visit Loch Ness.

"An educational idea," he replied, in a slightly strangled voice.

"They even have a spot hidden away for wizards."

"Very well then. Classes will be cancelled tomorrow for all students."

The Slytherin table erupted in cheers, and the other tables followed suit, even if they couldn't hear what he had said. Students were toasting their glasses and throwing their school ties up into the air. The teachers at the head table nearly leaped out of their seats when the wall of deafening noise hit them. Headmaster Dippet paid the chaos he had created no mind, and he continued to speak to them, even over the din of the room.

"-as we deal with the extermination of the monsters! I'll organize the trip, and oh, could one of you please ask the elves to make us a cold lunch for tomorrow? I'm afraid I'll be quite busy with other things in the meantime."

With that, Dippet exited the Great Hall, leaving his co-workers to deal with calming down the students. Luna left as well, she needed to see if she could find something to replace her bulrush charm. There were clusters of them growing along the lake, and so she figured there would be a good place to find the materials to weave a new necklace. Tom Riddle walked with her, which Luna paid no mind to, until they passed by the door that lead to the kitchens. It was in the entrance hall.

"Shouldn't you be going that way?"

"I'm going to the kitchens as well. I don't want whatever dotty thing you're going to ask them to prepare."

Luna felt her gaze harden. He pushed the enormous door leading outside open, and he held it for her.

"The number six is smug and arrogant, especially when it comes to the way it treats authority figures, but no one seems to mind. That being said, you're more of a seven."

She said this as she passed through the door, and he raised an eyebrow.

"The most powerful magical number?"

The door slammed loudly behind them. Luna started to walk in the direction of the lake, and he followed.

"Thirteen is stronger. It is complete, and incorruptible."

"Are you implying that you're stronger than me?"

"What force and strength can not get through, a gentle touch can do."

"I'm beginning to wonder if someone merely transfigured the Ravenclaw door into you."

He smiled a teasing smile, but Luna knew that it was completely empty. His smiles were made of nothing, yet they could still fill a person with flustered joy, a feeling of importance. Almost like Harry's in a way, but without any sincerity behind the emotion he was trying to convey. Luna could see why it had been so easy for Ginny to lose herself in the diary.

"Many in the streets would stand, were I not as a friend in hand," she smiled the same vacant grin back at him. Luna had a feeling that it would get on his nerves, even if he didn't show it to her. "Why do you think I'm a thirteen?"

It was a warm evening outside. The sky was turning pink-orange, and the sun was setting below the horizon. The clouds in the sky almost looked like they had been painted in place. They were stationary, and picture perfect. There was not a single breath of wind to move them along, and they seemed impossibly soft.

"The twenty-eight day lunar cycle is based off the thirteen moon calendar. And thirteen times twenty-eight is three-hundred sixty-four."

"Clever."

Luna couldn't keep the exasperation out of her voice. Thirteen had so many deeper meanings than that! She realized that he must have never taken a class in arithmancy, if he was not fully familiar with all of the symbolic importance and meanings that certain numbers held. At least, beyond his own. Even then, he just repeated the same trait about it, which wasn't even one hundred percent true.

"I'm top of my class in arithmancy."

That, she had a great deal of trouble believing. Luna bent over, and she started to pluck the leaves off the stems of the bulrushes. She laid them out flat on a rock close to her.

"Do you know where the kitchens are?"

"Of course. Why do you think I'm walking with you?"

"Did you know that kelpies will mistake people as their own if they wear a chain of bulrushes?"

It dawned on Tom that she knew he had no idea where the school kitchens were, even if he would not admit it aloud. Luna could tell.

"They're near the Hufflepuff common room. You just have to tickle the pear in a fruit bowl painting. But if I were you, I'd just call one of the house elves."

"That's possible?"

"So long as you know their name." She shrugged. "Being a prefect probably helps, too."

"As if I bother learning the names of the school house elves."

"How could you when you don't know where the kitchens are?" She sweetly asked.

His face went bright red, and he stormed off.

"Try calling Topsy!" She yelled after him.

Luna doubted he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vihanta: Finnish for Green. (She and Ruoho are literally the Green and Grass siblings.)
> 
> Q: What force and strength can not get through, a gentle touch can do. Many in the streets would stand, were I not as a friend in hand.
> 
> A: A key, to open a door.
> 
> Bewarb is roughly German for applied.


	5. An Enormous Theft of Hogwarts' Towels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I divided this chapter into two parts, as I did not want it to be ridiculously long.
> 
> Read, review, and enjoy!

Luna was getting quite used to there being chaos around the castle at this point. She had been the cause of it nearly every time so far after all. That day, a loud gong sounded throughout the entire castle. It rattled the windowpanes and made the floor shake. The three Ravenclaws she roomed with (Luna had not bothered with anyone in her house so far, and thus did not know their names.) were all startled awake by the sound. Luna was combing her hair when the gong was struck.

The mirror she was looking at wobbled in place, and she nearly dropped her comb. The gong sounded again, and then for a third time. Luna had thought to pack a bag of her things the night before. She picked it up, and left the dormitories. Even more students were walking around the common room in their pyjamas. Most were in a daze, wondering where the insufferable noise was coming from. No source was visible, but the gong continued to be stricken. As she was exiting the common room, their head of house, Professor Nettle, arrived.

"All students must be down and in the Great Hall within fifteen minutes," he briskly said. "Points will be deducted if you do not arrive in a timely manner."

His words seemed to get the message across. He turned around, and went back out the way he had come. Luna went out with him. Already, the house elves had been set loose on the castle. They were inspecting inside the suits of armor that she passed, and pulling down tapestries in search of spiders. Luna even saw one wobbling tower of elves, trying to get to the high crevices of a window. Another elf had conjured a toad, and sent it chasing after all the spiders that it could possibly reach. All around her, there were squeals of triumph or frustration as they went after the spiders in the castle. At least no one would be expelled this time around.

On her way to the Great Hall, Luna ran into a very tall Gryffindor boy. In his hands was a box.

"We've gotta' get you outta' here," he was saying to himself.

"You should try the Forbidden Forest," Luna suggested.

The boy whirled around, looking absolutely mortified.

"Shouldn't a' said that. I er-"

"You're not the only student with a pet tarantula."

"Ha, yes, a tarantula."

"The Forbidden Forest would make a good home," she repeated.

"Isn't that a bit, forbidden?"

"Not unless you get caught."

"I see yer point. Thanks-"

"Luna."

He nodded in her direction, and then dashed off in the direction of the entrance hall. As Luna continued her walk, she saw Lucretia and Walburga.

"Do you think we'll get to see Tom shirtless?" Lucretia asked.

"Could you gush over your favourite carrot top instead of the mudblood?"

There was a distinct blush visible on Walburga's cheeks, despite what she had said. Luna passed by the two, who were greatly engrossed in their conversation and did not notice her. The Great Hall was a mess of students, who were all clearly wondering where their tables were. Professors who weren't heads of houses were lining up the students, according to the year they were in, and by their last name.

Luna dutifully went over to stand with the other Ravenclaws. Many were complaining about being hungry, and it was difficult to get them all to stand in a line, especially after their noisy wake-up call. It seemed like she stood there for ages, staring at the enchanted ceiling, while she waited for something to happen. Professors took a headcount, they took the attendance, they deducted house points from those who were late. Luna couldn't see the hourglasses from where she stood, but she could imagine all of the jewels that were draining out of them. Finally, the staff managed to corral all of the students, and instructions could be given.

The Headmaster stood at the head table, and addressed the students, "Today, we have the wonderful opportunity to go out of the castle, and enjoy some classic Scottish scenery, at Loch Ness. Now, because it would not be practical to apparate us all, and it is not possible to get a large portkey on such short notice, we will be flooing. But in order to not flood the system, we will go in waves. The Gryffindors will go to the Leaky Cauldron, and receive breakfast. From there, they will floo to Loch Ness. The same will happen with the rest of the houses. Hufflepuff will go to the Three Broomsticks. I have been promised that the Hog's Head has been temporarily cleared of unsavoury characters, so that the Ravenclaws may go there. The Slytherins will go to Madam Puddifoot's-"

There were boos, gagging sounds, and jeers from the males of Slytherin.

"-which has so graciously agreed to serve breakfast instead of just sweets and tea."

Two more headcounts were taken before anyone was allowed to walk anywhere. The Gryffindors were sent off to different fireplaces in the castle, according to their year, while the rest of the students walked down to Hogsmeade.

The breakfast at the Hog's Head was rather uneventful. Many students were curious to see what it was like inside of the seedy building, but it lost its intrigue without the suspicious patrons and alcohol. Each student got a plate of fried tomatoes and eggs, as well as a slice of bread. The bartender made it clear that there was an "eat it or wear it" deal on the food that had been provided.

They finished breakfast, and flooed to Loch Ness from there. As Luna stepped through the fireplace, someone roughly grabbed her on the other end, pulling her out of the way. Before she could register what was going on, another student was already coming out of the fireplace behind her, and they were pulled aside like she had been. Luna watched this process, still dazed, for a few more rounds. She gained her bearings eventually, and looked around.

They were in a lodge-like building. There were two fireplaces. One was behind a desk, and the other was off to the side of the room. There were two sofas sitting around it, and a group of students had already claimed the spots for their own. The roaring fires continued to flare green for at least another five minutes, as student after student was pulled out by a teacher and put to the side. There was a fibonacci spiral pattern on the ceiling, and only one frazzled-looking employee at the desk. A prime number, that was promising.

Everyone was barred from leaving the lodge until the teachers had done the umpteenth head-count for that day. In the meantime, Luna grabbed a brochure from a rack of them. There were other pamphlets like this, along with copies of the Daily Prophet, and Witch Weekly. Luna looked over the cover of the brochure. It merely advertised the wizarding section of Loch Ness. It seemed that there was an entire island that had been warded off, and they were on it. There was also a little section about the infamous kelpie of the area, which the muggles were partially aware of, and referred to as the Loch Ness Monster.

"Ah, there you are."

Abraxas stumbled over to her, looking green in the face. Luna wondered if it was the leftover floo powder, or eating at Madame Puddifoot's that had caused his reaction. Maybe it was both. Then Luna started to wonder how he had found her, through all of the people that were in the lodge with them. Had he put a tracking charm on her? Asked where she was? Perhaps he was not the only one with a tracking spell on her, because Beatrice and Constance somehow popped up on her other side.

"Come on Luna!" Beatrice said, grabbing her arm.

"We're going boy-watching," Constance added.

"We already see them regularly in their natural habitat."

"Yes, but now's the chance to see them," Beatrice lowered her voice as a group of seventh year boys walked past them, "in something more, revealing."

"I bet my second-best chocolate frog card to Brutus that Charley Moody has a stomach you could wash your clothes on."

"Isn't Minerva dating him?"

"Repeat please?"

Beatrice pointed to a boy. Then, she pressed her thumbs to her fingers, and drew her hands together. She said Minerva's name clearly out loud, making sure to move her lips as much as she could.

"Hasn't stopped you before."

"Constance!"

She lightly shoved her friend, and they both broke out into giggles.

"You're not going to hang out with _them_ today, are you?" Abraxas asked.

Beatrice abruptly stopped laughing at this.

"There aren't any classes around here to show her to, Malfoy."

With a huff, Abraxas stomped off into the crowd.

"Oh my. Do you think I should-"

"Don't bother with him," said Beatrice. "We need to go get swimsuits!"

"There's a gift shop just beyond the desk area."

The shop that was selling swimsuits was already crowded with girls. By the time Luna had made her way to the rack where they were being sold, there were only five or so left in her size. She settled for a grey-blue one, it had a faint pink and white floral print. It looked like something that an old lady would wear, and Luna had to remind herself it was because she was in 1943. The people around her were the grandparents of the students she was going to school with.

The bathing costume was more like a summer dress in her opinion, but it was made out of a strange, jersey material. As she turned around in the changing room mirror, she found herself liking it more. The swing skirt reached down to her knees, and it fluttered up when she turned around.

The mirror naturally complimented her, saying that it brought out the non-existent blue in her eyes. It was also enchanted to make her think she looked better than she actually did. Luna could tell there was a slight vanity charm placed upon it. She didn't pay any mind to how it looked on her though, but the clothing itself. The style and material grew on her, the longer she was in it.

There was eventually an impatient knock at the door. Luna put her clothes in her bag, paid for the swimsuit, and exited. The next girl in line rushed in. Beatrice and Constance were waiting for her outside of the store. Luna silently wondered if they had accidentally picked bathing suits that were a size too small. After all, her swimsuit did not show _that_ much skin. Together, they left the building. It was a bright day outside, and Luna had to squint while her eyes adjusted to the sun. The island they were on was rocky, but there were trees farther back.

Already there were students testing the water, and splashing each other. As they walked to the shore, Luna stuck a toe in. The water was freezing, it chilled her to the bone. She shivered, and withdrew. All around them, the hills grew upwards. They were composed of green pastures, and undeveloped areas, that were dotted with pine trees. The "beach" area was rocky, composed of small stones that stretched out into the steely waters of the loch. Beatrice and Constance pulled out two towels each from their bags. Luna noticed that they belonged to the school.

"We nicked them."

They placed the towels in a large square, and laid themselves down on them. Constance went through her bag again, and pulled out a bottle of _Gretchen Sullivan's Tanning Lotion for the Lovely Witch._

"Tanning?"

"We can multi-task," Beatrice said. She snatched the bottle from Constance. "Here, take some! It's guaranteed to make your skin supple and youthful!"

"I burn easily."

"Of course you'll burn!"

"First you burn, then you turn red and peel and avoid all human contact for the next three days, and _then_ you get a tan."

"I just get red."

"Perfect disguise for sneaking into the Gryffindor common room."

Luna sat down on the towels with them. The ground beneath was still rocky, but the towels at least softened them. After a moment's thought, she pulled out her wand and performed a cushioning charm on the rocks. Both Constance and Beatrice gasped.

"Luna! You can't just perform magic outside of school! You'll get in trouble!"

"They didn't warn us not to."

"Well, I suppose we are in a completely magical area."

"Mhm."

They commenced that boy-watching had officially begun, as a group of them started daring each other to go in the freezing water. One boy picked up some seaweed that had been floating in the loch, and threw it at his friend. He screamed, and clawed at his back until he had gotten it off, and thrown it at someone else. Someone was tackled into the water, and soon enough, they were all happily splashing around in the shallows.

"Do you want to go swimming?" Luna asked.

Both shook their heads.

"We only got swimsuits so we could tan."

"We're going to look just like Saraphina Pinfold from Teen Witch Weekly once we're done."

"Speaking of which..."

Constance retrieved a copy of Teen Witch Weekly. At least, the cover was spelled to look like the latest edition. The inside was filled with names of boys, their years, and a little line to write their rating, and any additional comments they could come up with. Luna was impressed by how prepared they were for this mission.

"You have no idea how long it took for me to get my sister to teach me the spell." Beatrice started. "But this will seem like a regular magazine to any boy who happens to look at it."

Now, any time a boy walked past them, the two would giggle, and whisper little comments about the specimen. Luna tried to join in on their fun, looking at the boys, and determining how she would rank them. The boy with the round face and freckles looked like he could be a seven, because he seemed to have a keen eye for the most interesting-looking rocks. He was stooping over near the shore, picking up stones, and occasionally dipping them in the water to see what they looked like while wet. The boy with glasses and olive skin would be a six. He was quite adept at climbing one of the pine trees, but Luna wouldn't want to shake hands with someone who was no doubt covered in sap. He was pelting pine cones down at the people below, one of them even hitting a teacher.

Luna tried to rate more of them, but it was too easy for her mind to wander. She wanted to walk along the coast with her feet in the icy water, or to cool off in the shade of one of the tall trees on the island. Instead, she twisted her bulrush necklace around in her hands, running her fingers over the stiffly braided stems and leaves.

"What do you think Luna? About the ranking of seven that is?"

"Seven is the loneliest number," She quietly said.

"Not if I get my hands on-" Constance made a funny face. "Did you say Seven or Simon?"

Luna repeated herself, more clearly that time, and Constance blushed. Luna had thought it was because of her, but a shadow suddenly blocked the sun around the towel. All three of them pretended to be engrossed in the contents of the magazine.

"What are you writing in there?" The voice in front of them asked.

Slowly, Constance tipped her head up to face the speaker. She smiled at him, and fluttered her eyelashes. They were long and dark, the same colour as her thick, glossy hair. Having not seen him speak, Constance could not answer, so Beatrice lied for her.

"We're doing a quiz."

Now, Luna allowed herself to look as well. There were two boys, and they were both holding plates with sandwiches on them. They looked delicious, and came with side of cherry tomatoes.

"You all seem very invested in it."

"Yes, I don't think you've flipped a page once."

"We need to get all of our results you know," Beatrice said. "I thought someone as studious as you would know that, Robert."

Beatrice had closed the magazine by now. She and Constance were both sitting up with their legs crossed at the ankle, and propped to the side. They were balancing with one hand, and using the other to push back their hair. They smiled devious, close-lipped smiles, that seemed to hide a million meanings behind the,

"A fella' can't know everything," Robert shrugged.

"But we do know something," The other boy said.

"Something that you don't."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"They're serving lunch now."

"You could go back to the cabin and get served-"

"-or, you could come join us."

Listening to them finish each other's sentences was like listening to Gred and Forge. Luna was suddenly stricken with a sharp pain in her chest as she remembered them. The twins and their antics had always been so much fun to watch, especially during their last year at Hogwarts. The things that she missed came back to the forefront of her mind in waves, as they always seemed to do when she let her guard down. She _wanted_ to go back, as fun as this time period was, she wanted to return to her own.

The boys held out the plates, and donned identical, wide, grins as well. Constance and Beatrice looked at each other, and their expressions became blank. Constance stuck out her thumb and turned it sideways, then she balled her fist together and gestured between them. Beatrice nodded.

"We'd like to take you up on that offer."

"Wonderful. We're seated just over there."

They rose to their feet, stretching their arms and brushing the non-existent sand off themselves. They finally seemed to remember that Luna was there when they did this, and the two girls looked worriedly at each other.

"Oh, Luna, you don't mind if we-?"

"I think my chain needs a few more bulrushes to make the look complete, don't you?"

"Erm... Yes?"

"I saw a patch of them growing over there," She pointed with her chin, the opposite direction of where the boy's towels were. "I'll go pick some."

Rising to her feet as well, she took her bag, and started to walk along the water. Little waves lapped against the rocks, and coated her feet. It was refreshing to be in the cold water, especially after the amount of time that she had spent in the sun. Her lonely walk did not last for long however. The shrill voice of Walburga asked, "Blood traitor and halfie desert you already Lovegood?" Walburga and Lucretia were sitting on towels. (Had every student in Hogwarts but her stolen some?) Walburga had just brought sandwiches for herself and Lucretia. Many of the older Slytherins were around the area as well. They were more subdued than the younger students. Luna turned towards them when she hear the question.

"Did you know that the yellow cherry tomato was the first kind grown in Europe? It dates back to the sixteenth century."

They didn't respond to her question.

"Come join us in the shade," Lucretia said, her mouth full of food. "Witch Weekly may say tans are in, but it'll just ruin your skin later in life."

Walburga wrinkled her nose in disgust, but chose to not tell Lucretia off.

"For once, my dear cousin is right. Buy a leather purse instead of turning your own skin into it."

The trees they sat under grew lower to the ground. The branches spread above her heads, and rays of golden light filtered through the holes in the leaves. It was relieving to plunge into the shade, and sit down on the cool, soft grass. It felt nicer than any cushioning charm possibly could. She stretched out her legs and leaned back on both her arms.

"I think I'd like a dragon-hide purse," Luna mused, wriggling her toes.

"A purse? Don't you mean gloves, or shoes?"

"It would be completely resistant to magic, no one could summon it."

"What about mokeskin? Surely that would be better if you want to prevent stealing."

"Everyone else already has one."

Walburga seemed to be warming up to her as the conversation went on. The Black cousins, belonging to a family that perceived themselves as royalty, could understand the idea of status symbols. She smiled a little at her.

"Lucretia and I saw a Hebridean Black once, when we were visiting with the Lestrange family. It had the most beautiful scales," Her voice became slightly dreamy. "They were pure black, and they shone even though they hadn't been shined. I remember how Cygnus cried and cried, asking our parents to buy us one. I think he might have thought it was a family member that had been transfigured because of the last name, actually. But it was still amazing to look at."

"Maybe Orion will get you one as a wedding present," Lucretia said, poking her side.

"Ugh, don't even joke about such things."

"Well I would rather have a Romanian Longhorn."

"Slytherin green?" Luna asked, grinning.

"Exactly! It would match our uniforms wonderfully! It's too bad we're graduating this year."

"It would still match the walls of your room," Walburga said.

"Oh yes, I'll get a purse that only goes with my room," Lucretia quipped back, rolling her eyes.

"I'd get an Antipodean Opaleye."

" _Oooh_ , our Aunt Elladora had a stuffed one! Legend has it, she shot it down herself."

"We haven't seen it in person, just the background of one of her portraits," Lucretia explained. "She tells a different story about how it got there every time you ask her."

"Wasn't she the one who started to mount house elf heads on the walls?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

Luna was about to tell them that a friend (Harry) had told her, but Walburga already had an answer ready.

"How could she be a pureblood and _not_ know about the infamous Black Family trend? She got a chocolate frog card for it!"

Just then, Ignatius Prewett came over to them. In his hands was a plate, with a sandwich on it.

"Hullo Iggie."

Walburga choked on her own food.

"Don't tell me you're seriously calling him-"

"Good to see you as well Walburga." He replied, nodding towards her. "Lucy, would you like to come join me for some lunch?"

"She's already eaten," Walburga growled, grabbing her cousin's wrist.

Lucretia shook her off. Tossing her hair and smirking at Ignatius, she said, "I'd rather like that." They joined arms and walked off to another tree.

"LUCRETIA CASSIOPEIA BLACK DON'T YOU DARE-"

"Silencio."

A jet of red light came from Lucretia's wand, and struck her cousin straight in the chest. Walburga continued to talk, before she could actually realized that her voice was gone. Luna reached her wand from behind her ear and performed a counter-spell.

"Finite incantatem."

"-TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT-"

Walburga's rant died down as she saw that the couple had already run off. Naturally, her unholy voice had garnered the attention of the students around them. One of the students must have been Abraxas, because he got up and started to walk to walk over. Luna smiled and waved at him, but her view was quickly blocked by someone else, who was also holding a sandwich. Luna started to wonder if she should get in on the sandwich-offering, towel-stealing fad that was going through the Hogwarts students.

"Hello Tom," said Walburga.

She had ceased muttering under her breath, a side effect that came after any time she yelled at someone.

"Giving a girl lunch is starting to become a romantic gesture today," Luna said.

"I'm aware of that," Tom replied, no shortage of disgust in his tone, "this is my lunch, not yours. I simply wanted to talk with you."

"HelloLunahaveyouhadlunchyehereIbroughtasandwichforyoucomejoinmeoverthere!"

A breathless Abraxas came out of nowhere, and practically flung a plate at Luna. The sandwich landed in Walburga's lap instead. Amused, Luna let him drag her until they had reached a secluded part of the island, away from everyone's sight.

_"Slytherin cunning and subtlety at its finest."_


	6. Cherry Wood and Kelpie Hair

There were large, flat, rocks covering most of the area. Dark grey in colour, they stretched out into the loch, and chipped away in layers. A little slope formed here, the soil and plant life higher than the rocks. The pine trees and scrubby bushes were nothing out of the ordinary to the island, but one of the trees was. It had smooth, dark brown bark, and white blooms upon it instead of leaves. 

When Abraxas had finally let go of her hand, Luna picked one of the flowers, curiously inspecting it. Five, cotton-white petals stretched out. They were round in shape, and curled slightly inwards. The center was a little dot of yellow, and tiny stamens radiated outwards. As beautiful as the flower was, it did not have a smell. She placed it in a pool of water that had collected on the surface of the rocks.

"You should avoid Tom until you know more about him."

"I don't think he's interested in me, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not  _ that _ I'm worried about. Tom, he's-"

"-carrying a colony of the rare sparking sotones?"

What Luna really wanted to say was that Tom was a manipulative psychopath and murderer who obviously was interested in the darkest of magic, but she settled for the next best thing. No one wanted to be accused of carrying something like the sparking sotones after all. It was embarrassing.

"The what? No, never mind, it's not that."

"Is it the nargles that he's able to spread around those who follow him?"

"Luna, this 'ez serious!"

"I noticed that there are a few nargles around your head,” Luna said. “Do you follow Tom?"

Abraxas swore in French. His face grew pale, his expression became strained, and he started to struggle with his words.

"'ow did you-?" 

Luna bent over to pick up her bag.

"Do you like licorice wands?" She pulled a package of them out. "I think they're quite good, but they get trapped in my teeth."

Grudgingly, he accepted the licorice wand from her. The shade of the blooming cherry tree stretched out over the water. Luna settled herself down on one of the rocks, and put her bag by the base of the tree. Her legs were only partially submerged in the water, and it was warmer where she was in the shallows. It did wonders in relieving the burned feeling on her legs though. 

Abraxas sat down next to her, silently chewing on the licorice. Despite how much she had disliked simply sitting and talking with the others before, Luna was almost tempted to do so now. The day was so warm, and beautiful. The water of the loch sparkled with a jewel-bright intensity, and the gentle lapping of the waves was soothing. Staring out across the water, were the hilly pastures that surrounded the area. They were green and picture perfect. She wanted to sit there and take it all in, like a sponge.

“So how was your boy watching?” He sneered. “Who got the highest score?”

A sneer. Luna had forgotten it was one of those painfully annoying things that Draco Malfoy had done. It only figured that such an ugly expression would be hereditary. It made him look quite silly really. His words came out garbled, too. The sticky treat had done a number on his teeth as well. Despite that, Abraxas still reached for another licorice wand as he waited for her response.

“That boy, picking up the rocks got the highest.”

His eyes followed to where she was looking, and he nearly choked on his candy.

“But he’s a first year!”

“What does that have to do with one’s ability to have fun?”

“Wait, so you  _ weren’t  _ rating them according to attractiveness?”

“Oh no, that would be a bit creepy don’t you think? Beatrice and Constance were though.”

He looked dumbstruck for a moment. Then, he chuckled, shaking his head back and forth. Luna did not really see what was so funny, but it was a common reaction people had whenever she talked with them. 

“You’re nothing like the other girls at Hogwarts,” he explained. “I should’ve realized that.”

“People say that a lot.”

“Say which?”

“That I’m different.”

“Do people ever euh, make fun of you for it?”

“Some of the time. I was just starting to make more friends, but then…”

_ Somehow _ , she wound up being thrown fifty-four years into the past. That was a secret however, there was an entire chocolate frog card resting upon how long it was kept a secret for. 

“You came here,” he finished for her. 

“Yes.”

A wind stirred through the trees, loosening blossoms from the tree. Petals fluttered down, as soft and as white as snow. They landed on top of their heads, and in the water. Small ripples rose up with each one that landed in the loch. Abraxas sighed, a frown creasing his face. He pushed some of his silvery-blond hair out of his face, and combed his fingers through his hair, trying to get the flowers out. It didn’t work however, they were still stuck, adorning his head. 

“I feel the same. The British and the French don’t exactly get along, even when there’s a war going on,” abashed, he quickly said, “pretend I didn’t say that.”

"It’s alright. You don’t have to use the Slytherin sunflower technique.”

“Quoi?”

“Do you miss France much?"

"Nothing makes me more homesick than Hogwarts. Everything's different.”

He waved his arms, trying to emphasize his point. A shower of white petals rained down again as he hit the overhead branches by accident.

"I feel the same."

Abraxas turned to her.

"Where did you go to school before Hogwarts?"

"Homeschooled," she lied. "Dad and I liked to travel a lot."

The cherry blossoms floated on the surface like little boats. Luna stirred them around with her fingers, creating whirlpools.

"Is he-? Oh euh s-sorry I-"

"He's not exactly dead."

No one was dead, yet. But the changes she had made to the past might as well ensure they were. This wasn't like a time-turner, (no time-turners had been involved in her trip to the past, as far as she knew) where things were cyclical. She had already made major changes to the world, and it was impossible to even prevent such a thing from happening. Simply breathing was making a change to the flow of air in the world. 

People wouldn't be born, people would be different, and it suddenly occurred to Luna that her mother, who she had always known she would meet again, might never be there. Luna felt that she would not be in the past permanently, there was a way around it. But if there wasn't (Luna hoped it wasn't true), she would at least be reunited with her father and friends on the other side. Did people who didn't exist have anywhere to go?

She would never see her world and the people she knew again. And if she did, they would be incredibly, painfully different.

The reality of her predicament finally settled upon her, like a large, immovable weight. There were no reassurances she could cling to, no positive sides to look at it. The loch started to blur before her eyes.  

"Oh sweet Merlin I'm making you cry. Luna I-"

Now she was starting to make him upset as well! Luna tried to pull it together. She didn't want them to throw a pity-party on such a nice summer's day.

"Things were just much simpler back then."

Her throat felt like someone was strangling her, she could barely choke the words out with any sense of normality.

"Everything was simpler before the war."

Rolling her shoulders, Luna started to take controlled breaths. Her chest ached in protest, and her eyes stung, but she did her best to stop the awful feelings that seemed to be consuming her. They calmed after a little bit. Luna splashed some water on her face, but it was too warm. She strode out of the shade, and into the sun. The water got colder as she walked out. Luna had to stop when she was faced with a sheer drop below. The rocks all suddenly stopped here, and she could just barely make out the murky bottom. She sat on the edge of the cliff, swinging her legs in the water. The cold was refreshing on her cheeks, it helped get rid of the puffy feeling. Abraxas brought out the package of licorice wands with him, and Luna smiled a little.

"What? That sandwich I so gallantly gave to you was my lunch."

"I'm not sure if Walburga wants to go out with you."

"No. But my firstborn will have to marry her euh-" His face scrunched up as he tried to do the genetic math.

"Brother's firstborn?"

Luna of course knew part of this because she was familiar with the Black family tree. Or rather, Draco Malfoy bragging about how he was the future heir of the family, once his mother was out of the way and he was of age. She had tried to tell him that there was still a viable head of the family, but he seemed to be under the impression that he was not related to Stubby Boardman. At least, not as closely as someone like Bellatrix was.

"Third actually, Lestrange gets the first, and Rosier is second."

"To better promote your family ties?"

If he heard the disdain in her voice, he didn't acknowledge it.

"Yes, that. My parents are always afraid that the Blacks might break it off, which is why they want me to get along with Cygnus."

"Are you sure they weren't angry because you dueled a first year while you're in your fifth?"

"That too."

"How do you know they're going to have that many children?"

"Oh they will."

"Three is a powerful magical number after all."

The joke was completely lost on Abraxas. It seemed that he had not heard Tom boast about his limited arithmancy knowledge before. It seemed like every other conversation she had with Tom involved the number seven however, and one of them would state that it was a powerful magical number. They were all powerful in their own respects, but that just seemed to be the one that he was most invested in.

"The Blacks like to cradle betroth, so there's time to negotiate things. Otherwise I'd probably be with-" Abraxas made an exaggerated gagging sound. "Walburga."

"She  _ is _ a bit loud."

"A bit?"

"A-" Luna recoiled, pulling both her legs out of the water. Something   _ warm _ had  _ licked _ her foot. "A bite!"

The head of a pitch-black horse rose out of the water. It whinnied, and tossed its dripping mane of bulrush leaves. Luna felt her heart skip a beat, before speeding up in excitement. Now things were really getting interesting! It looked like her bulrush chain had worked after all! The use of new cattails instead of dried ones must have enhanced the effect! Woes forgotten, Luna jumped to her feet. 

"What  _ is _ that?" Abraxas asked, backing away.

"She's a kelpie. They shape-shift into sea serpents and horses. The muggles call this one the Loch Ness monster actually."

Luna reached out a hand to pat the horse on her lowered head. Her hair was silken soft, and it felt dry to the touch. The kelpie closed her eyes, obviously enjoying the attention that she was receiving. Luna wanted to run her hands all over the kelpie’s hair, but she could barely reach her back. The kelpie was larger than any normal horse, and she was already on the shorter side to begin with. 

"Luna! Don't just-"

"She's perfectly friendly," Luna reassured. "Normally, a person would have to get a saddle on them for it to be docile, but I remembered to wear my chain of bulrushes. She just thinks I'm another kelpie."

"Wait Luna what are you doing? Don't just-!"

Luna slipped into the water, and dunked her head under. It was refreshingly cold, and it chilled her to the bone. The kelpie whinnied a second time, and then dived under the water. Luna followed, forcing her eyes open to see the greenish world around her. It was difficult to spot her black coat in the water. She swam downwards, as far as she possibly could. The kelpie, Nessie, was an agile swimmer, moving faster than any horse should have been able to. Luna had to go back up for air, but she didn't really want to. When she came back up, Abraxas was there leaning over the edge of the water. Her head nearly bumped into his chin, and he jumped back in shock. Luna only stayed above the water long enough to take his wand (it was out and aimed at the loch) and cast a bubblehead charm on herself. Then, she was back down, submerged among the stones and mud. 

Seaweed danced eerily at the bottom of the loch, pushed by a current that she could not see. Luna twisted around, looking for the kelpie. A school of silvery fish darted past her. An emerald-green streak followed. It was scaly and easily as wide as her body. It darted past her again, and she saw the horse-like head of the monster. A sea-serpent. Or at least, a kelpie that greatly enjoyed shape-shifting into one. She snatched what must have been half the school of fish between her jaws and swallowed them whole. 

Then, she turned to her, intense amber eyes boring into her own. Luna stared at them, completely enchanted by the sight of the glowing eyes. Suddenly, she dashed again, curling once around her middle, and carrying her to the surface of the water. Luna head Abraxas scream. The world had yet to catch up to her, it was dizzy going from the bottom of the loch to the top within seconds. Luna could only half-heartedly say;

"I'm fine!"

"It's going to kill you!"

" _ She's _ going to kill me," Luna corrected. "But sea-serpents aren't actually known to attack humans."

She looked between them curiously and intelligently. Luna got the feeling she knew what they were saying, even if she couldn't speak to them. The kelpie uncoiled slightly, allowing Luna to rest upon her back comfortably. The scales on her body were enormous, almost as large as dinner plates in size. They were slick, pointed near the edges, and were rough to the touch. Luna would have worried about cutting herself on the little points, should the kelpie decide to actually harm her. 

Despite that, it was just like riding an enormous horse. She kept her arms tightly wrapped around the kelpie's neck, and her head to the side so she could see in front of her. Abraxas looked pale, nothing unusual there, but Luna could tell that he was shaking as well. Smiling slightly, she leaned to whisper to the kelpie, "You'll have to excuse him. I don't think he's ever seen a kelpie as magnificent you before."

She made a series of hissing sounds that Luna was certain was a laugh. She giggled along with the serpent, amused by how scared he was of something so harmless.

"Are you laughing at me?" He asked, staring up at them indignantly.

"I think she says we should lure you into the depths and eat your delicious pureblood flesh."

Just then, the kelpie bared her needle-like teeth in a carnivorous grin. Luna was ready to topple over laughing when she saw the effect it had on Abraxas.

"W-what?"

"That's why you always put a saddle on a kelpie before riding them! Otherwise they'll jump into the water with you on them and eat you. They're rated quadruple X by the Ministry for a reason."

"I thought you said they were harmless!"

"Sea-serpents are harmless. But kelpies aren't."

Abraxas closed his eyes, and took a long, shuddering breath in.

"Please, please get off that thin-  _ her _ ."

Seeing how much the fear was getting to him, Luna conceded.

"Oh, alright."

She murmured to the kelpie, patting her slick, green head. Then, Luna slipped off her back and into the water with a large splash. Abraxas covered his eyes again as he saw the height she had dropped from. Luna then pulled herself up on to the rocky ledge, kicking her legs furiously. She lay there, panting and dripping wet. Goosebumps popped up all over her arms and legs. The air felt even colder than the water did now, and she shivered when the slightest breeze. Abraxas summoned a towel (stolen from the school, naturally) and wrapped it around her. His teeth were chattering as he said, "Never do something like that again."

"You have flower petals in your hair."

Abraxas shook his head, but it still did nothing to get them out. Luna turned back to the kelpie, and waved at her. She transformed into a horse once again, and nudged her hand until it rested upon her mane. She knew exactly what the gesture meant, and she glanced uncertainty at the kelpie.

"Are you sure?"

The kelpie licked her teeth, and shot a look between her and Abraxas. Luna blushed a little at the implication. She whispered the truth to her.

The kelpie bowed her head, and Luna barely dared to breathe. She ran her fingers through the tangled strands of bulrushes, taking care not to tug too hard. It wouldn't hurt any more than plucking a hair would, but she made sure to be incredibly careful when taking a single strand of her mane. As soon as Luna had, she grabbed the necklace of bulrushes she had made, and dived into the lake. Nessie became an enormous sea-serpent, with the necklace clamped between her teeth. Luna waved goodbye, she got Abraxas to unenthusiastically join in. She nodded her head in return, before diving beneath the surface of Loch Ness. A wake followed, and Luna watched her recede into the depths.

They retreated back to the cherry tree. Abraxas practically collapsed on his shaky knees. Luna stayed quiet, giving him time to recover. In the meantime, she wove her fingers between the bulrush she had been given. Kelpie hairs had many different properties, both magical, and symbolically. They were often used as wand cores, but only when voluntarily given. It was also an ingredient in the strongest of love potions, because of the creatures' attractive properties. When Abraxas started to fall out of his stupor, he saw what she was holding.

"She gave you her hair? Just like that?"

"I had to answer her question."

Luna twisted her hair, wringing out the water dripping from it.

"Kelpies can  _ talk _ ?"

"No, not that one. But there's a variety that can turn into humans too. Usually males, and it's not very common. Come to think of it, I'm not actually sure if they can talk, either..."

"How did you know she asked you something? What  _ did _ she ask?"

Having begun to braid her hair, Luna did not answer the question right away. She plucked flowers from the tree, and tucked them into her hair. Now the two of them were matching, and she smiled at the thought.

"Oh, she was just wondering if you were one as well, and if not, did I plan on eating you."

"What did you say?"

"I admitted that I was just a human with a bulrush wreath."

"Is that why she took it from you?"

"We gave parting gifts, so we could remember each other. I think she also appreciated me warning her about any future kelpie impersonators."

**"You're one of a kind Luna. One of a kind..." **


	7. The Noble and Most Ancient Lake of Black

"Now, because classes were cancelled this Monday, there was no time for us to perfect our wound-cleaning potions. Thus today, I thought we'd do the opposite of waiting."

Professor Slughorn paused for dramatic effect, something that had long since stopped impressing the class. Only one or two students paid close attention to what he was saying, while the rest talked amongst their partners or stared off into space. Abraxas wasn't talking to her. He was one of the few students who listened to what the teacher was saying to them. His mouth was set in a grim line, he looked almost like he was preparing himself for battle, based upon how tense he was. Even his wand was gripped tightly in his hand, like he was just waiting for something to leap out of their cauldron and get him.

"-quickly destroys all of the plant ingredients, which is why the herbicide potion must be brewed in under thirty minutes. But, while this potion arguably takes the least amount of time to brew, doing so properly is a challenge for the reasons stated earlier. So if it does not work the first time, you will still have another three or so tries left in class to go. Now, good luck brewing!"

Luna sent Abraxas back to the store room, while she started up the cauldron, and looked over the instructions. There was nothing glaringly difficult, the problem was that you had to brew quickly, otherwise the potion would be ruined. Luna decided that they should prepare most of their ingredients in advance, so they would not have to rush. The first thing they had to do was crush four lionfish spines. 

The lionfish, when alive, is incredibly poisonous. Its many fins had sharp quills sticking out of them, that could kill a fish within seconds of being struck. It was also these quills that gave it the name of lionfish, because they looked almost like a mane. It was the poison from the fish that destroyed all of the other ingredients, but the lionfish had to be put in first because bones took the longest to dissolve. Luna counted out the number of spines needed from the stock box of them.

She gave them, and the instruction to turn them into powder, to Abraxas. Luna had not failed to notice that potions was his least favourite subject, nor had she missed the fact that he was terrible at following written instructions. This time, she gave him verbal commands, in a low voice. Luna also made sure that he was not doing any sort of measuring. 

She started to remove the spores from a fairy fern. Like all ferns, they were on the underside of the leaf, but Luna had some trouble peeling them off without taking the leaf with it. The textbook specifically instructed that none of the leaf should make it into the potion. She had to cut off the bits of fern, all while keeping her eyes on Abraxas. Things went well, with her newly devised system. They worked at the same steady pace as the rest of the class. Luna was confident that they would be able to finish it on the first try. They were just reaching the five minutes left mark when there was a knock at the door.  

"Come in!"

It was Headmaster Dippet, and trailing behind him was Tom Riddle. They locked eyes, and she nearly stopped stirring the potion.

"Headmaster! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, I'd simply like a minute or two of Miss Lovegood's time. I trust that isn't too much?"

"Certainly not."

Luna took that as her cue to join them in the hall. Standing just outside the door was a squat man wearing Ministry robes.

"Ah, you're Miss Lovegood?" He asked. "I'm Emmet Taegan, current head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"It's good to meet you."

"Likewise," he briskly said. "On behalf of the Ministry, we would like to thank you and Mister Riddle for not only saving the school from closure, but dealing a great blow against Grindelwald as well. Without your initiative, we never could have driven his attacks out of Britain."

_ "We?"  _ she thought to herself.

Judging by the expression on Tom's face, he was thinking the exact same thing as her.

"The Ministry would like to award both of you with an Order of Merlin, second class, for all that you have done. It will be presented to you this Saturday."

So much for forgetting the ridiculous story that she and Tom had spun. Luna had been hoping that people would not think back to who had made up the lie about Grindelwald being behind the Chamber of Secrets. After all, Dippet had not brought up awarding them a trophy, or even house points for that matter. It seemed that was not the case, and now even the Ministry was involved in something she thought would blow over. But, life worked like that some of the time. The people in this time also seemed to have much less nargle infestations than those of the present day did. It made sense they would actually think back to past events, and react accordingly.

"Hogwarts would also like to award you for your special services to the school," said Dippet.

Well, there was the trophy that would come with it all. She must have jinxed herself somewhere along the walk to class today, she was experiencing the strangest of luck.

"Congratulations."

It was the least enthusiastic "congratulations" that Luna had ever heard. She speculated that the Ministry (this man at the very least) was not happy to be awarding them, but they had no choice. It must of had to do with the secret army they were building in the Department of Mysteries. No doubt they had wanted to use their were-vampire hybrids to put an end to the attacks, but they had stopped them before they could be deployed.

"We're both greatly honoured," said Tom. "I trust you have the details?"

They were both given an envelope with the Ministry seal on it.

"That is all. I will see you both Saturday."

He did not so much as offer them another congratulations, or try to shake their hands

Luna returned to class, where she found that everyone's potion had been vanished, including their own. Abraxas sheepishly apologized. Luna felt a twinge of annoyance, but she supposed it was the pointless awards she would have to accept that was really getting to her. She simply smiled, and walked him through the entire potion-making process again. Abraxas remembered some parts already, like the lionfish, and the right number of lily anthers to add. She also knew the proper technique for spore removal now, too. Because of this preparation went much faster. They were actually able to complete it a second time. As Slughorn strode by their cauldron, his eyes went wide. He had been vanishing the others, and had almost instinctively done so with theirs.

"You're both finished!" Slughorn exclaimed.

Even Abraxas seemed a little stunned, despite being the one to brew the potion with her.

"Second time's the charm," she said.

"Well, since you're finished, I don't see why you need to stay in class any longer. The homework's on the board."

Abraxas was stunned, and remained speechless until they had reached a nice, shady spot under a tree by the Black Lake. There was a willow tree slumped over the lake, its long branches dipping into the water. Small fish flitted about, curiously inspecting the leaves every time they touched the water. Luna took off her shoes and dipped her feet in the water. The fish scattered, but quickly came back to look at her pale feet.

Our potion did well," he said in a stunned voice. "It actually did well."

"Slughorn's class is much better than my old teacher's. He knows that undue fear attracts diskitits."

He looked at her in confusion.

"They can alter the magical properties of ingredients, causing them to go disastrously wrong."

"It's not that. I'm terrible in potions! I always mix up words on the instructions, and I have to translate it all, and it always gets me a failing grade!"

"Have you tried putting a translation spell on your textbook?"

"It doesn't work," he sighed. "The words get scrambled.”

Luna pulled up a large blade of lake grass. She shredded it to thin slices laterally with her fingernails. Then, she held out the blades of grass to him.

"If I cut that with a knife, what would that look like to you in French?"

"Hacher finement."

"In English, I would say that I thinly sliced it. What would you call it if I continued to cut them into squares?"

"Couper en dés."

"And I would say I diced it."

"I see," he slowly said. "But how would I remember the more complex translations?"

"We'll translate together," Luna replied. "We can get the potions recipe and make sure you know the right translations."

"But how are we going to do that? Slughorn doesn't tell us what we're doing until the day of."

Abraxas seemed bent on finding every negative thing he possibly could with the plan. He was such a defeatist. Luna was not about to give up though. This was about acquiring knowledge, and she would do her best to pass it along to him. The sudden surge of determination she felt reminded her of the emotions that her old friends had inspired in her. Whether it was learning new spells in the DA, or singing the (modified version) of  _ Weasley is our King _ during Quidditch matches... Luna found herself drifting too far from the conversation at hand. She was not going to nearly cry in front of Abraxas for a second time.

"Do you have any siblings who went to Hogwarts?"

"No, that would make things much easier, but they both graduated from Beauxbatons before it was closed."

"I wish I had siblings. I think it would be interesting to have a sister."

"Sisters are terrible!" He exclaimed. "They test out their latest shades of lipstick and perfume scents on you! Of course, my brother isn't much better."

"Why, what does he do?"

"Dueling and beater's practice."

That explained his slightly crooked nose then. And here she had thought that it was a side-effect of the ghoul that seemed to be stalking him.

"Oh my, that doesn't sound like much fun."

"He's actually awful at both of them, but that didn't make any more fun."

"Not anymore?"

"No," Abraxas sighed, Luna noticed he did that a lot. "He ran off to join Grindelwald. My parents were furious of course, the Malfoys serve no one, you know the usual pureblood speech. It's probably also part of why I got shipped off here."

She splashed some water at him.

"You'd have a bit of a swim if you wanted to go back."

In return, he cupped his hands, and dumped even more water on her hair. She let him do this, grinning as the lake water dripped down her hair and into her robes. 

"Some days I wouldn't mind doing it."

Mirroring his gesture, she dropped a handful of water on his head too. 

"The Black Lake is right here if you want to start now."

"Ugh."

"Ugh?"

"Did you know that Walburga once tried to claim that the Black Lake belonged to the Black family, as it was probably named by Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black?"

"I heard Cygnus once thought that a Hebridean Black was a member of the family."

"As fierce as Walburga is, I find it hard to believe anyone could mistake her for a dragon."

"Oi! Lovegood!

Luna did not know the boy's name, but she recognized his face. He had wild, dark hair, and even darker eyes. His skin was a rich brown, and there was a scraggy attempt at beard-growing on his face. It looked more like he had glued the hair to his chin. He was in the year above her, Luna often saw him talking with Not-Harry-Potter. He was walking straight towards them, a business-like spring in his step. 

"Qu'est-ce que vous voulez Lestrange?" For her own benefit, he added, "what do you want Lestrange?"

"Il veut parl- Oh why am I telling you alone?" Lestrange asked. "He wants to speak with Lovegood."

Having a fair idea of who  _ he _ was, Luna nodded. She went back to staring at the lake, enjoying the warmth of the summer day. It was nice to sit on the grass, with someone who she was starting to consider a friend. She had usually sat on the grounds by herself in the years past, admiring the wildlife, or bringing out a book to read. Luna had almost felt envious when she saw groups of friends horsing around by the lake, or basking in the sun during the warmer months. Now it was her turn to do so, she found herself liking it quite a lot. 

"Now."

"Oh, alright. I shouldn't be that long Abraxas."

"Luna..." He trailed off, not-so discreetly looking at Lestrange.

"If you get a head start on our potions homework, there will me more time to try feeding the giant squid."

"Luna-"

"Today please," said Lestrange. "I have places to be too you know."

Luna left her bag with Abraxas, and followed Lestrange to a more isolated spot at the edge of the lake. Students were only pouring of the school now, but Tom was already there. Sulking. He may have been standing in the shade of a tree, but he still stuck out like a sore thumb. Luna wondered if he thought it made him look mysterious and powerful. He seemed to have a power complex, from what she had seen of him at the Slytherin table.

"Did you know that the caves system in the Black Lake is home to the ever-elusive ashrays?"

For some reason, he didn't seem very interested in the fact, even though they were supposed to be having a conversation.

"We have permission from the Headmaster to get fitted for proper clothes tomorrow. We'll be flooing to Twilfitt and Tatting's once school is out."

"Oh, that's nice of him. I have a few new sets of robes though, I got them Saturday."

"The Ministry would like us to be in matching wizarding robes, it is supposed to look better for," he paused, sneering slightly, "the papers."

"The ones I’m wearing are Doran-Selwyn's-wound-cleaning potion-gone-wrong-blue. You can ask him for the memory if the tailor isn't familiar with it."

Figuring that was that, she turned to leave.

"I'm not done yet, Lovegood." He said, his voice low.

Suddenly, she began to feel uncomfortable with how far they were from the other students. She hadn't minded spending her time alone with Abraxas yesterday, but he wasn't a murderer who had control over a basilisk. The layers of his auras were all telling in their different ways, Luna didn't like what she was seeing. 

"If you say so."

She put more distance between them, and made sure to respond to what he had said. When he got closer, she fixed her attention upon a large bird that was in the air. It was very difficult for her to identify what it could be. The bird often flew in the sun, making it look like little more than a black silhouette. It had a very large wingspan though, and she didn’t think it was an owl, based upon the shape of the tail. Seeing some colours would have helped. 

"I recently heard that you accused me of opening the Chamber of Secrets."

Headmaster Dippet  _ told _ him was more like it. She didn't voice the thought aloud.

"Rumours are vicious things. They remind me of a swarm of bees, pollinating the gossip grapevine."

"Yes, rumours, that's what they're called," he laughed, it was a colder than the Black Lake and unpleasant to listen to. "I did some thinking, about all the ridiculous things you say at the Slytherin table."

"Nothing I say is ridiculous. It's backed up with proof," Luna stubbornly said. "Unlike the students who claim their entire family is pureblood. Just yesterday I saw Selwyn talking to his pet toad. Only someone of swampland descent could do that!"

"Was that in transfiguration?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be safe to bring a toad to potions, unless you were using it as an ingredient."

"Back to the topic at hand: that's exactly it. The things you say aren't ridiculous you're-"

_ "Don't say time-traveller I want that card. Don't say time-traveller I want that card. Don't say time-traveller I want that card." _

"-some sort of seer."

He smirked triumphantly, as if he had uncovered some great big secret. It wasn't even enough to bet a measly chocolate frog card on! Luna was almost disappointed. She wasn't of course, because Agatha Chubb was a card she had been hankering after forever. Keeping serene was obviously not the reaction that he had been hoping for, because he continued to talk in a confident, self-assured tone.

"It was simple really. Walburga knew that the Lovegoods have a seer almost every generation the second I asked her about it. And you're always prattling on about the most insignificant things, just like the divination teacher."

"I'm no more of a seer than you," Luna replied. "I simply read the signs the world provides, while you are illiterate."

"Surely you can teach the illiterate to read."

Luna could see the greedy look in his eyes. It was this desire for knowledge, and its consequential misuse that lead to murder and possession.

"No. Some people can never learn fully. Language is difficult. Just ask one of your... followers."

"I'm quite intelligent."

"If I'm not a seer, then you've just admitted to opening the Chamber of Secrets for no reason, and I’m not so sure that was an intelligent thing to do."

Feeling that just about wrapped things up, Luna left a sputtering Tom behind.


	8. The Slytherin House, Interhouse Team

"Lovegood!"

Walburga Black marched up to Luna. Her school robes fluttered behind her like a king's, and her short blond hair shone like a crown. Luna had just got out of DADA class. Walburga's distant relation to a former headmaster of the school must have granted her the ability to apparate on the grounds, because it was the only way she could have possibly arrived so soon. Never mind how Walburga knew what her class schedule was.

"Hello."

"It is my duty to make sure that you join an extracurricular club at Hogwarts," she announced. "Which is what I am here to do now."

"I didn't know it was mandatory."

"It's not. But, I have something that you want."

"Oh?"

"A list of the entire fifth through seventh year curriculum of potions," she continued, taking them out of her bag. "Guaranteed to remain exactly the same so long as Professor Slughorn teaches at Hogwarts. A little snake told me that you’d be wanting them."

They were waved in front of her face, in what Luna assumed was supposed to be an enticing manner.

"I like the order they're filed in."

"Yes, yes, but only if you join the Slytherin House, Interhouse Team."

"The SHI-"

"Yes I know what it spells and I didn't name it. That was Lucretia's doing."

"House and inter-house seem to contradict each other."

"It's about-" Walburga waited until a few last-minute students left the DADA room. "It's about gathering information from the other houses. You already have a link to Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, you'd make an excellent addition."

"To Gryffindor?"

"Constance McKinney is dating Simon Seize as of this morning," she quickly explained. "So will you join?"

"I'd like to be a part of a club."

"Excellent. We have a meeting right now. Let's go."

The notes were handed to her, and Walburga rushed off. The meeting place was in the Slytherin common room. There was a painting of a large green snake basking on a rock by the seaside on one of the common room walls. Walburga whispered the password to it, and the painting swung open. Luna found it interesting that the common room was empty, but she soon discovered why that was. It seemed like every female in Slytherin house sat in the room she came to. It was circular, no larger than the average dorm, but there was only one bed.

"This is the room the Slytherin head girl gets," said Walburga.

The older Slytherins in the room were conjuring chairs. They were obviously well-practiced. The younger ones arranged them in a proper circle. Everyone seemed to know where to sit but Luna. Walburga (who was sitting at the foot of the bed) gestured to the chair closest to her left. Lucretia pushed her cousin over so there was room for herself on the bed. Walburga coloured slightly, but did not say anything. Lucretia simply smiled and waved at Luna, which she returned.

"Every girl to their seat!"

It would be silly to assume that it was anything less than a royal command. Anyone who was still standing found their place. Together, Lucretia and Walburga raised their wands. They cast at the exact same time, and a round table appeared. Luna could see now why they had been told to sit down. The chairs and table combined meant that they took up the entire room. There was barely enough space for anyone to get up. With the exception of the area around the bed of course, where the Black cousins rested.  

"Elves!"

There were sharp cracks as a trio of Hogwarts house elves appeared. Each placed a pot of tea on the table. Two of them left with low bows, while the third began to give each member their cup and saucer. The tea started at the end of the tables, where the younger girls sat. The two pots wove their way around, some accepting, while others choosing to pass.

"The black is earl grey and the green is peppermint,” Lucretia whispered to her.

Luna took the green tea pot when it came her way, and poured herself a small cup. Bowls of brown and white sugar were passed around next. Luna took one of each, and watched as the teacup stirred it in for her.

"Is the transcript ready Eileen?"

The sallow girl sitting next to Vihanta Greengrass nodded. There were two long scrolls of parchment and two self-inking dicta-quills next to her tea.

"Then we call the Slytherin House Inter-house Team meeting of May twelfth nineteen forty-three to order. Now, before we begin, We would like to remind you all that there will be no meeting the week of exams, on Wednesday the second."

"We would also like to introduce Luna Lovegood," Walburga continued. "She is here as a neutral observer today, but will be a member from now on. Her status as an honorary Slytherin allows it. Does anyone object?"

A quelling look from the cousins ensured that no one would be silly enough to put up their hand. Luna strangely liked this. They really wanted her to be in their group, even if it did have to do with being a good source of information. She didn't mind sharing any discoveries she made with the group. It wasn't like they would be swapping dark curses and poison recipes with each other.

"Wonderful," Lucretia said over her teacup.

"McLean, report."

The girl at the very end of the table spoke, "w-well, today I heard from Sarah that Theresa Rust-Worthy l-liked Jason Marla."

"Liked or like-liked?" Eileen asked.

"Like-liked."

"Isn't Theresa the smartest Ravenclaw firstie?" Asked Lucretia.

"Y-yes."

"And if I recall correctly, Jason Marla is a particularly dim Gryffindor, same year."

There was a book next to the transcripts that were being generated by the quills. Eileen's focus was on making sure the quills got everything down word-for-word, so it was Vihanta who picked up the book and went through the pages. She gave a nod of confirmation, proving that the information they had on the students was correct.

"Write that down will you Vihanta?"

"Naturally."

She copied the information down from the transcript next to her, and then cast a drying charm upon the ink. The thick book was closed once again.

"Good job McLean. Crushes are the most common, yet most difficult to get out of people at times."

The others nodded in agreement. Things went briskly and systematically from there. Either Lucretia or Walburga would praise the girl who had brought them new information, and then they would move on. Luna was not even given enough time to get bored of listening about who liked who and so on. There were a few interesting tidbits about the teachers to keep her afloat throughout. There was a near-surgical precision as the group went through the information. It was over in less than ten minutes. By that point, everyone had finished their tea, Luna included. The table was vanished, the cups and teapots going with it. Just as they started to stand up, the conjured chairs began to fade. That explained why things had gone through so fast. The first years were dismissed, followed by the second and so on until only Luna and the Black cousins remained.

"There, now that you know what to expect, you're prepared for next week," said Lucretia.

"We expect you to bring a bare minimum of one interesting fact about someone to every meeting."

"The tea served here is very good."

"That's because I nicked my mum's stock and gave it to the house elves."

"Lucretia! Don't just say that aloud!"

Luna simply left the two to bicker. As she wandered out of the common room, Luna thought about the meetings. It wasn't as fun as the DA had been, but it seemed like things wouldn't end in detentions and too many hexes. The subject as a whole was rather dreary, it was the feeling of inclusion that she liked. She would continue to go, for the tea, and the warm emotion that inclusion created.

"We were supposed to meet up when school ended."

A vice-like grip latched onto her shoulder and turned her around. She was staring into the rather irate face of Tom again.

"You never said where. I find that wandering tends to help."

This only made him look more angry, but he could not place the blame on her. Luna had never really intended to go robe-fitting with him, she already had her own dress robes. She would have to go with him now, there was clearly no escaping it. Neither of them said anything as they went to Slughorn's office and flooed, nor did they speak when entering Twilfitt and Tatting's.

A large man with a red face directed them to stand on stools. They both did as they were told. Another woman with an equally red face appeared from the back of the store, and started to take Luna's measurements. She was pinched and stuck with pins all over. The woman's grabby hands were like the claws of a crab, and her scarlet face only enhanced the effect. The tape measure was drawn tight around her middle more than once, Luna found herself gasping for breath during those times.

"How old are you again? Twelve, thirteen?"

She finally broke the silence.

"Sixteen."

"You're a bit small for someone who's that age."

The woman didn't have to specify in which places. They both knew. Tom looked over, he was obviously hoping to see her abashed. Luna didn't find it a source of embarrassment however. She hardly cared about what other people thought when it came to her appearance. Tom got a smack to the head for his troubles, as the man made him face forwards.

It was safe to say that they both disliked the store equally. It smelled like a mixture of perfume and cologne. It did not help that the two tailors wore different scents as well, adding to the cocktail. Luna fought to stop herself from sneezing, even as a tickling sensation brushed around her nose. She would just get pinched, or poked with a needle if that happened. The store was also garish in decoration, it was like they had bronzed everything possible and put it in the building. The counter, the colour of the floor, the lamps, even the front display in the window all shone brightly of bronze.

_"Maybe the store takes all the knuts they get and melt them down,"_ thought Luna.

They were both shoved out of the store once the measurements were done, with the instruction to come back in half an hour.

"Well that was unpleasant," said Luna.

"Purebloods always brag about it being the best robe-fitter's in Britain."

"The clothes maybe. Would you like to go to Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour?"

"No, there's some business that I'd like to attend to. I'm sure you already know where."

No, she did not know where he wanted to go, but he really seemed convinced that she could see everything in the future. Her smile was already in place, so she simply nodded, and walked with him. Luna personally would have preferred to buy ice cream, but they were under instruction to stay together. Had she not been in an unfamiliar time period, Luna wouldn't have paid attention to the instruction, but times were different. She didn't recognize many of the shops, and every face was unfamiliar to her. Luna wouldn't have minded exploring, but that was not something one did within thirty minutes.

They entered Knockturn Alley, and headed straight to Borgin and Burke's. Tom looked back at her. He seemed to think she would somehow object to where they were going, or at the very least seem intimidated. Luna wasn't of course, Tom wasn't very good at scaring people in her opinion. She had come to Knockturn Alley a few times with her father: once to interview a hag, and another to look at the pelt of a genuine nundu-kneazle. They had thought of purchasing it to help with searching for one in the wild, but decided against it.

When they entered Borgin and Burke's, there was already a customer at the counter. He and the man behind it were talking in low tones. Between them, there was a necklace. It was sealed in a bubble, floating slightly above the countertop.

"That makes two muggles now. You'll want to update the sign."

The man (Caractacus Burke was the name embroidered in his robes) grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowing teeth.

"Of course. I trust you'll send it back here if the Ministry gets their hands on it again?"

"Naturally."

The seller turned to leave the store. He tensed briefly when he saw that there were others in the store.

"Hello Mr. Greengrass," said Tom.

"Good to see you," he brusquely replied.

Mr. Greengrass pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and then exited the store. Tom and Caractacus sported identical, malicious grins as he sauntered forwards. Luna followed behind, trailing her fingers over dusty cases and shelves. She was careful not to touch anything that was not properly sealed away.

"Sneaking out of Hogwarts are you Tom?"

With a swish and flick of his wand, the necklace was sent to an empty jewelry case.

"Accio sign," said Tom. The sign from the case came off, and he handed it to Caractacus. "We have permission from the Headmaster to be out today."

Luna was far more interested in what the store held than the conversation they were having. She turned her focus to a bone-white figure. At a single glance, it just looked like a ornament of a normal winged horse. It was rearing upwards, its mane of hair pushed backwards by an invisible wind. The horse's feathered wings were open to their full span, the feathers upon it were incredibly detailed. The longer she stared at it, the more Luna noticed the horse wasn't really white. It was almost transparent. She could see the horse's bones through the surface. A statue shouldn't have possessed bones though. Suddenly, feathers were dropping off of the wings, and the skin of the horse was being stretched tight around its frame. It was no longer a simple winged horse, but a thestral.

"You can see it?"

"You'd be surprised at the things she sees," Tom snidely said.

"I've been able to see threstrals for a very long time now." Luna answered.

"What does _that_ mean?"  Tom asked.

"Ah, this lovely statue is a sort of detection device. Simply ask whoever's over if they like the thestral statue and see what they say. It's just like the real thing."

"Interesting."

"Carved from a real thestral bone that is."

"It's quite pretty."

Tom cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself. Maybe Dolores Umbridge had picked up that technique from him, it obviously worked, even if it annoyed those around oneself.

"About the job placement you've offered me Sir-"

On the wall, there was a picture frame. A deck of tarot cards were kept inside. They were painfully detailed, and had animations to go with them. On the sun card, everything was being graphically burned. The flowers in the background were brown and wilting, the child and horse upon it were being consumed by the golden rays, and they struggled to escape the borders of the card.

"As soon as you're out of Hogwarts. We want a full-time worker only." Caractacus said sharply. "You have a good eye, those cards are genuine gossamer, and they date all the way back to-"

"We can't bring anything in here back to Hogwarts with us," said Tom.

"Poppycock. It's more than possible."

"How so?"

"You of all people know better than to ask me that, boy. Besides, if an underage student can perform magic in here without getting caught, there are plenty of other things that we can make happen.”

"Is it possible to do so through owl?"

Tom started to quiz Caractacus on all the potential ways to sneak some sort of horrible, dark artifact into Hogwarts. Luna's attention was drawn to the case where the not-so new necklace rested. It was made of light opals, which sparkled brightly in the dark store. The chain was made out of alternating circles and ovals, each possessing an intricate silver backing to them. the centre piece consisted of a large opal, and a smaller one dangling below it. There was a warning sign on the case. The death toll of one muggle had been crossed out, the number two was now scribbled in its place.

Katie Bell had been harmed by a cursed, opal necklace. It was all that everyone could talk about during the winter months after it had happened. The story had even more staying power because Harry Potter had been involved in the incident. His name brought a lot of attention to anything, it was rather impossible to escape. This piece of jewelry would do much more damage in the future.

"That is one thing I am not willing to sell to a minor," Caractacus said.

"It would be difficult to carry around," she answered. "You'd only survive if the smallest bit of bare skin touched it, and you'd still need a healer. Not very practical."

"You're familiar with the curse then?"

"I've heard of it before."

"Does the curse make it more valuable or less?" Tom asked.

"Ancient magic is always worth more. The only spell anyone knows for is upon it is the boomerang curse."

"Do explain."

"In a tricky twist of fate, it will always wind up back in this shop. It's been here even when I was your age, and it always makes a return."

"In more ways than one I'm assuming?"

They both cackled at the implication.

"We're coming up to thirty minutes."

Tom checked the store clock (it appeared to be made out of still bloody finger bones) and nodded.

"We ought to get going. It was good to see you again Sir."

"Visits from you don't come often enough Tom," Caractacus replied. "Graduate soon so we can hire you already."

"I will Sir."

They left the shop, and made sure to quickly leave Knockturn Alley before anyone noticed their Hogwarts uniforms. As they were walking back to Twilfitt and Tatting's, Tom asked, "how are you supposed to see anything other than the winged horse?"

"You didn't see Myrtle die?"

"I refuse to answer that question."

"I suppose it makes sense though. You'd want to keep your eyes closed with a basilisk going 'round the school."

"You-?"

"I don't need to be a seer to realize that Slytherin's monster would be a giant petrifying snake."


	9. Brevity and Clarity

"Luna!"

"There you are!"

Constance and Beatrice excitedly ran up to Luna as she was walking to the Ravenclaw common room.

"Hullo," she greeted.

"How would you-"

"-like to join-"

"The Hufflepuff Elite Ladies' Life Investigation-"

"-and Secret Harvesters?"

"HELLI-"

"We didn't come up with the name."

"We also meet every Saturday after breakfast."

"Which, is today!"

Luna was quite flattered that so many students around Hogwarts wanted them to join their secret information-gathering clubs. Unfortunately, she was busy that particular day. She had to go down to the Black Lake, to see if her favourite boulder was still present in this time. Then there was the whole Order of Merlin ceremony she was going to because she had told an enormous lie. Also, she was interested in checking out the books that were currently in their library, since she knew Dumbledore had pulled some out during his time...

Luna pointed at herself, then crossed her hands, letting one slide over the other, before outstretching her palms towards them and pressing down.

_"I'm busy today."_

"Hey! You're picking it up!"

Neither of them could be disappointed when she had managed to communicate effectively. Constance and Beatrice ran off, presumably going to their meeting, while Luna returned to the dormitories. Her year mates had just departed for breakfast, so she was all alone in the room. Luna fished out the package from her trunk, and placed it upon the bed.

She eyed the box warily. It was wrapped in shiny paper and tied tight with curled ribbons, like it was some grand, exciting affair. She had really wanted to wear her new, blue dress robes for this event. Instead she found herself jumping through the Ministry's many hoops. Luna untied the tricky knot of ribbons, and peeled off the paper. She gently opened the box, and looked at the neatly folded robes inside. They were plain black, and the only thing special about them was her own name, and family crest.  There was a neatly-written note at the bottom of the box, written upon stationary with the Twilfitt and Tatting's logo upon it . She idly traced her fingers across the silver thread embroidered upon the chest, while reading the message.

_Protocol states that you should wear no jewelry, hat, nor makeup._

The letter was unsigned, but she presumed it was from the store. Luna wondered why the Ministry had not included this information with the code of conduct she received with their congratulatory letter. Perhaps the vicious pauspen had licked the ink off their message. Luna had no jewelry yet. She had even given away her bulrush chain to the Loch Ness Monster. She had lipstick though, and had spent an hour working to charm it a blue that would match her other dress robes. Perhaps it would be better suited for a time when the weather was cold.

Luna pulled on her new robes and gave her hair one final brush over. As she looked in the mirror, she found that she quite liked the way the robes hung upon her body. It must have been all the blood sacrifice (from the many times she was poked with the needles and pins) which allowed them to look as nice as they did. The material had none of the tight, restrictive feeling of silk, yet it was just as soft.

After dressing, she went to the school gates, where Slughorn and the eternally glaring Tom were waiting. Slughorn would be escorting them off the grounds that day. It seemed he had found a way to be the teacher escort. They apparated, as to avoid getting soot on their robes. That seemed like a non-issue to Luna. The robes were black, there was nothing to worry about. However, they were already in the Ministry before she could bring up anything about it.

Just to defeat the purpose of being the teacher supervision, Slughorn was almost immediately pulled away as he recognized someone. Luna could hear his booming voice above all others in the atrium. There were signs set up around the fountain that day, directing all the visitors where they needed to go. Together, they discovered where the ceremony would be held (why the Ministry needed a ball room was beyond anyone) and went to their destination. They were ambushed by well-wishers and cameras all the way. Luna's smile was starting to feel a little force as she shook hands with someone for the umpteenth time. Then, they were headed off by the man who had told them of the awards. Luna had to think in order to remember his name. It was Emmet Taegan, he looked more agreeable than he had during their first meeting. He shook hands with both of them, and said;

"There's been a change in plan. Part of the dance will be held before the awards, and the rest, after."

"Pardon me?" Tom asked.

Suddenly, Taegan turned upon him. His tone was steely, but it could not conceal the tiny smirk that was upon his lips.

"Surely, Mister Riddle, you are aware that we have a dance."

"I did in fact research this event," Tom replied in an even frostier voice, "but I was under the impression that it was tradition for it to occur _after_."

"You're one to talk about, _tradition_ ," he sneered. "We know how busy you students are around this time of year. So the Ministry _graciously_ decided to have part of the _traditional_ _wizarding_ dance before the awards, then give you your medals. We wouldn't want to have you leaving _before_ the _traditional_ _wizarding_ dance started after all!"

Tom did not say anything. He managed to give a curt nod towards the man. The moment he turned away from them, Luna found herself being dragged to a nearby alcove. There were fewer people in this section of the hall, only the occasional passerby in Ministry robes. It was unlikely that they would be overheard by any of the guests being hosted.  

"Ah, this must be because of the-"

"Lovegood."

"-the Ministry wants to embarrass us-"

"Lovegood."

"-but so long as we work together, we can cover up our distinct lack of knowledge when it comes to the winged rabbit-fly's preferred eating-"

"I don't know any traditional wizarding dances."

Luna stopped talking. That did seem like a small problem, especially if they were expected to dance with the others. Luna thought back to the note she had received with her robes. Tom had "graciously" offered to carry them for her. He must have been the one to slip in the message, because he had clearly researched everything about what would happen. Now, it became more and more evident that the Ministry was trying to make them look bad. Or more specifically, Tom. Who, for all his research, could not anticipate how far they would go to make a muggleborn look worse than the other purebloods. Especially if they had to give him an award.

"You only need to fake your way through one. Then we can try talking to others until the awards are given."

"What if others want to dance with us?"

"You may be friends with their sons, but I doubt any of their mothers will be interested."

"What are we going to do?" he repeated.

Luna went quiet, contemplating whether or not the pattern on the wainscoting consisted of deadly nightshade, or black nightshade. Without the colour in the berries, it was difficult to tell one over the other. The leaves had been detailed at one point, but looked worn. Perhaps so many people had run to hide in this alcove and leaned against the walls that it began to fade.

"Stick to the subject," he hissed.

Oh yes, she had almost forgotten that he shared connections with the bat in the Hogwarts dungeons. Luna was still dazed from the overwhelming amount of names and thanks, as well as the shine of photograph flashes in her eyes. She had thought the slight irritation in her mind stemmed from that, or because she had forgotten to wear her clover earring on the new moon in January.   

"Are you a visual learner?" Luna asked.

"It will, suffice," he sneered.

For a person who was in a desperate situation, he certainly had a charm for making her feel less helpful. Nevertheless, she thought of a memory, one without any incriminating facts. The competition of her chocolate frog card collection depended upon this. When she could think of one clearly enough, she nodded, and made eye contact. Luna had to fight the urge to wince. He had only been trying to skim, quite clumsily really, before. Now that he was not placing any effort into concealing himself. The pain gave away to a slightly different one as her mother's face swam before her eyes. Her parents were together-

"Ah! There you two are! Ready to get started then?"

The voice of Emmet Taegan appeared beside them. The connection was broken as they looked away. They both gave some inane response, Luna could not be bothered to think about what she had said. Taegan then lead them to the doors of the ceremony room. Everyone was already inside, and soon, it would be time to make their entrance. Tom waited until Taegan had run off again (giving some even stupider remark about how he needed to find someone else) before talking.

"Lovegood, I didn't get to see a single-"

"Multitask," she cut in, "I know the dance, you just need to copy the memory, slightly ahead of time."

That was all they managed to say before Taegan returned. The duo looked at the other. Luna had fixed her smile back in place, and Tom was stoic. She would bet another ultra-rare chocolate frog card that he was screaming on the inside though. They linked arms, and entered the room. Luna's attention was instantly drawn to the large number of faces that were in the room, watching them. As they strode towards the dance floor, she forced herself to focus on the memory. She could not afford to let herself think about many different things now. Actually, she could, just to humiliate Tom, but she had still not gotten the chance to buy any yew seeds. Until then, she had to stay out of dark places, which was certainly where she would wind up if this went sour.

A string quartet was beginning to play, she blocked out the soft sounds of the musicians. Instead, the distant, slightly static waltz began to play from the wireless in the kitchen. Luna couldn't recall the lyrics, but the tune was something which stuck within her mind. She had seen her mother's face, but she too enraptured to notice her daughter peeking through the smallest sliver of space the door left. She could see her parents, arm-in-arm, making their way in a waltz across the floor. The kitchen was taken up mostly by the table and chairs, as well as the potted plants by the window. Her parents managed to avoid it all, without even looking over their shoulders. Dodging the devil's snare that reached out towards their feet, and splitting apart to avoid overturning a stool. The song, both real and inside her mind, drew to a close. Her parents were leaning in- for a kiss most likely- and that was where she stopped the memory.

There was a smattering of polite applause for them, and the other dancers who had been on the floor with them. They ducked their heads in acknowledgement, and quickly left to the side of the room. Luna did not know how the dance had actually gone, but her feet smarted in a few places. Her parents were flawless, it was as if they had gone through the motions hundreds of times. She had not done much formal dancing in her life, and Tom knew nothing on the subject. That just about brought their collective knowledge to a total of next to nothing.

Now that the dance was over, she could take in some of the room. Where there wasn't wooden floor, there was plush carpet. It was red, and gold vine patterns twined across the surface of it. Chairs had either been conjured or taken out from storage, and were set up in long rows near the back of the room. There was a small stage, and a podium with the Ministry logo upon it. Looking at the setup of the room, Luna couldn't help but think it was shoddy work. People had foldable chairs to sit on, and she noted that the carpet was frayed and stained in places. Even the seemingly impressive chandelier had crystals missing from the dangling chains around it.

The Ministry _really_ wasn't pleased about this...

Then again, they had lied (and perhaps made themselves targets of Grindelwald if he thought they had thwarted a classified plan of is) to get to where they were. Their treatment was more or less revenge.

After some time for mingling (Luna simply had a very forced conversation with Tom to avoid shaking hands with congratulatory people) they were called up to the stage. They stood at attention, gazing down at the crowd of faces while. The Minister started a speech simply dripping with insincerity and propaganda. He was encouraging citizens to not worry about Grindelwald, for if two teenagers could stop his plans, then the qualified Ministry was able to as well. Luna noted the man had a habit of dragging out her last name, while quickly blurting out Tom's. It was heavy-handed and laden with political motive, Luna was grateful once it was finished.

Eventually, a medal was pinned upon their chest, and that was that. They had received their Order of Merlins. Slughorn was too caught up in talking with former students, Luna and Tom were unable to get his attention. So, Tom wound up (illegally, for he didn't have a license yet) apparating them back to the gates.

"Well, that was certainly something," said Luna, as they walked back to the school.

"It was... Not what I was expecting," he grudgingly admitted.

"Were you hoping to form more powerful, pureblood connections? Use your new-found prestige?"

They way he reacted told Luna yes, he had been hoping his award would translate into power, but he shook his head anyways.

The rest of their walk passed by in an uncomfortable silence.


	10. Sunday on the Seventh Floor Stairs

Luna had arrived at the usual time for Sunday breakfast, yet, she discovered that the scones were more fresh than usual. Most of the time, they were rather lukewarm. But this was not the case today. The butter melted upon contact with them, pooling in an oily, yellow mess on her plate. Luna didn't mind getting her hands greasy, so long as the food at the Hufflepuff table was even better than usual. Selene was sitting to her right, and Brutus was face-first in his arithmancy homework to her left. The other Hufflepuffs in her year had yet to get out of bed, the table space around them was mostly empty.

"I heard you won a fancy award," said Selene, through bites of her toast, "for saving the school."

What she was  _ really _ saying was more along the lines of, "how did you stop the school from closing down without getting rid of the person you claimed was responsible?" Luna took the time to chew her scone before responding, "it was pushed into my hands, really. But there won't be any more attacks."

"Hm."

It was a pensive sound, Selene did not like that the culprit had gotten away. However, she had also been there when control of the situation had been ripped from Luna's hands.

"Have you begun to study for exams yet?"

" _ Urugh _ , you really are a Ravenclaw."

"They're coming up."

"Sho's shummer," Selene replied, viciously taking another bite of toast. She at least took the time to finish her food before continuing with what she was saying. "Then we can go swimming, and bothering Augusta if Algie isn't in, and make ice cream!"

"Where do you live now?"

"Ireland, right by the sea. There aren't many people close by, except for this one bloke who lives in a lighthouse."

"What's the floo address?"

"The water's mostly shallow, so I'm allowed to go along by the shore by myself. And in the winter, everything freezes up. We can go skating next holiday! Oh and uh, Periwinkle Cottage."

"Sounds lovely," she idly said, wiping her buttery fingers off on a napkin. Luna grabbed her backpack and stood. "The post'll be here in a minute."

"I'm expecting Owley with a response from Uncle, I'll stay."

"I will-" Luna looked to the enchanted ceiling for direction, "see you at tomorrow’s dinner."

Just as a great swarm of owls swooped into the Great Hall, Luna began to power-walk out of the room. She saw the headlines upon the Daily Prophet, and knew that she had better speed up. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Abraxas (and his eagle-owl) rising from his seat, newspaper in hand. She reached the moving staircases before he caught up to her.

Abraxas only just managed to jump on before they were swept away. His owl had no trouble swooping after him, even when the stairs moved. Luna didn't listen to what he was saying, she was too concentrated on making sure that she chose the right direction when going up the stairs. Otherwise, they would move in an undesirable position. On the second floor, she needed to ignore the landing, and continue walking until the stairs from fourth joined up. Then, she had to take a back step so the fifth and seventh floors would lock in place with each other.

The end result was that they were completely stranded. The staircase they were attached to was clinging to a wall, but was simply stretching into thin air. It would take outside interference (specifically, starting at the third floor, going down two, up six, and then down three) for them to make the stairs move from where they were. The moment Abraxas realized they were locked in place, he dropped the newspaper, and went to the top of the stairs. He peered over the edge, confirming that they were dazzlingly high up, completely trapped on the seventh floor of Hogwarts.

"L-Luna! Mon Dieu! What the 'eck 'ave you done? First the paper, and now-"

Luna curiously looked at the front page of the Daily Prophet. There was a picture of both her and Tom, cringing slightly in the many flashes of camera light. They stood together awkwardly, it was rather clear that they did not want to be touching. Tom scowled the moment he saw her, and Luna couldn't help but laugh. This did nothing to soothe Abraxas, who was still peering over the edge of the stairs, and breathing heavily.

"I-I ch-chase you all the way up here- I-I tell you to a-avoid 'im- He's  _ involved _ in things Luna. Things that you shouldn't get caught up in-" The  _ we're involved _ within his voice was unspoken, but just as clear. "J-just-"

Abraxas kept on leaning over the edge of the stairs. Luna gave a slight tug on his robes before anything bad happened. Then, she primly sat on the stairs, and patted the spot next to her. He reluctantly sat down, still fighting for breath.

"The Tom thing was out of my control. The stairs, not so much."

"We're going to be stuck here forever!" he wailed.

"Oh, did you have plans today?"

"What?" Abraxas asked, surprised at the sudden change in topic. "Euh, just homework." 

"Then we can do it here. Or summon a school broom for you."

"What? Do you know how many windows that would break?"

"None, since we're right by the astronomy tower."

"Ah," he flushed slightly.

"And I'm up here to avoid being chased around by others all day," she continued, "now, shall we start on potions? Walburga just gave me a complete list of every potion Slughorn will ever teach us for the rest of our time at Hogwarts."

"I don't see why not."

"Accio Abraxas' school bag."

"Now  _ that _ is certainly going to break a few windows."

There weren't any shards of glass embedded within his school bag, once it arrived. However, that did not necessarily mean that something wasn't broken. It could have been a door, or maybe even bones, in its place. They would most likely never find out. Since they were sitting at one of the highest points inside of Hogwarts, Luna doubted they would need to worry about it either. Abraxas' owl settled down on the railing, but quickly discovered that it was not ideal for sitting on. After fussing around a bit and scratching up the masonry, it decided Abraxas' shoulder made a pleasant post. A sentiment his owner did not share.

"I think we should work on potions first, it will take the longest."

"Hm, what did Slughorn assign again?" Luna asked.

"Taking notes from the theory section of chapter six."

They got to work, reading the textbook by themselves, and jotting down notes as they went. They managed to keep up a light stream of conversation as they worked, but did not discuss anything too distracting. Luna learned a few more interesting bits about Abraxas: while his branch of the family was from France, the Malfoys had been in England for hundreds of years.  He was the youngest sibling of two others: Armando and Ariel. Yes, he was aware that his parents had all given them  _ A _ names, which just so happened to be in reverse alphabetical order according to birth, before she brought it up. Cygnus Black liked to tail after him in his free time because he was too scared to do the same with Tom. And no, he was not interested in turning his incendio fires lilac by learning how to harness his veela heritage because it was non-existent. (The veela part, not the ability to change the colour of the spell.)

In turn, Luna talked a little about her plans for the future (should getting back to the future not pan out). While she had enjoyed running a newspaper, she could not deny that radio had a certain appeal to it as well. Abraxas suggested she try out for Quidditch announcer next year to gain some experience, because the current one was going to graduate. She also tried to give some cryptic hints as to where she had "mysteriously disappeared to" on Wednesday. Luna was fairly convinced he was aware of the Slytherin House Interhouse Team now, but she could not be certain. He seemed to accept her explanation at least.

Throughout their time doing homework, they shifted positions on the staircase. First, they simply stayed in the middle, their backs hunched over their work. But when that grew uncomfortable, they leaned against the wall, and kept their legs crossed. Then, Abraxas got daring enough to sit on the railing, with his back to the wall. It was certainly wide enough, and he kept one of his legs hooked around it, but Luna couldn't help but feel a small flitting of nervousness within. Even his eagle-owl seemed overly cautious when he did this, Luna didn't doubt that it would carry him itself if he leaned too far right. He smiled confidently, obviously enjoying that she was the one now squirming. The rare smile on his usually frowning face reminded her of Harry. There was a quick stab of sadness as she thought of him. One of her first friends, gone just as quickly as he had appeared. Luna didn't dare sit on the bannister herself, lest she need to help the owl. She chose to not rise to the challenge, and instead sat lengthwise across a step. 

Somewhere between the responses and homework questions, they both grew bored, and gave up. They were mostly finished anyway, they told each other, they could finish it later in the day. Abraxas began to fold a paper airplane. He doubled over the parchment and folded it with his thumbnails until the creases were sharp. Then, he gave a lazy throw over the edge of the stairs. It turned around almost immediately, and poked Luna in the nose. She picked it up again, and sent it gliding. Apparently, someone else had been hit in the nose with it, for they heard a voice calling up to them, "hey! Where'd this come from?"

"Why aren't the stairs working?" the second voice wondered.

It took a moment to register, but Abraxas recognized the voices. He rolled off the banister (where there were stairs, mercifully) and crouched down.

"It's Cygnus and Orion!" Abraxas excitedly whispered.

"Shall we tell them the ghosts of Hogwarts are punishing them for their sins by scrambling the order in which the stairs move?"

A diabolical grin swept across his face, and an equally mischievous one tugged at her own lips. How could they not? They didn't want Cygnus and Orion to leave, so they hastily wrote back on a parchment, folded it simply, and sent it down. Their quiet gasps could be heard even from the seventh floor.

"So, you can hear us?"

Luna started to write, and Abraxas began stockpiling planes for her to use.

"Say we have heard every misdemeanour uttered in their entire lives," he suggested. 

"I like the word choice," she said with a nod, doing as he said.

Another note was launched, and they watched as it slowly spiraled out of their sight. 

"They could use this against us!"

"They could stop you from being the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black Orion!"

"We have to placate them," Orion said, steeling his resolve, "but what do we say?"

"Oh mighty ghosts!" Cygnus began. "I am-  _ ouch _ what was that for?! We are cousins Black by blood, and brothers by choice! Our great uh- how  _ many _ great is it? What does that make him?”

“I dunno’, this is Walburga’s area of expertise!”

“Our great relative! Yes  _ him _ ! He was headmaster of this prestigious school! And so we're sorry for whatever we have done to er, wound you so horribly."

"We shall leave you alone," Luna said, reading the next plane aloud to Abraxas, "but we will not fix the stairs."

"Fair enough."

They sent their final message. Abraxas had made so many extra that he shoved them over the side as well, letting them fall into the confusion. Luna tossed two planes up as well. They crept to the edge of the stairs and looked over. Luna wondered if this was what it was like, sitting on a cloud while it snowed below. Parchment planes flew thick through the air, pelting down upon the boys. They grinned widely to help fight the desire to laugh, and Abraxas squeezed her hands. Cygnus and Orion left, and they let go, laughing even as they tumbled down to the base of the stairs. 

There were a few more students who came by to loudly complain about the stairs not working as they should, but they had to save their parchment for finishing their homework. Once that was done, there was hardly anything left to do, and it was just barely lunchtime. The thought made Luna hungry, she wondered what amazing meal she was likely missing out on. She also wondered why she had not thought of that flaw in the plan before. But then Abraxas (he had a large sweet tooth) pulled out some Every Flavour Beans and a French sweet known as  _ calisson _ . They were made out of candied melon, orange, apricot and almond paste, which was placed upon a wafer. They were topped with royal icing, and cut in eye-shapes, which Luna felt was befitting of the delicate little candies. He had them sent from home, he explained, as they nibbled upon them. He also told her of the supposed origins of the calisson, a story invented more as a legend, contrary to the facts which did exist.

"There was a King, René d'Anjou, and he had recently married his second wife. Being years younger than 'im, she was unhappy with the arrangement. The King, he wanted to get along, since, they were married, and being at the other's throat is not practical-"

"Quite," she agreed, leaning closer, to grab another calisson.

"So, he asked his cooks to devise something which would cheer her up. So, the calisson was born."

He took a break to eat another.

"Was she happy?"

"All descriptions of her said she was a wonderful, sweet person. Whether the calissons did that, most likely no."

"Does it mean anything?"

"Huh?"

"Calisson."

"That is another story entirely, much more factual and historical. It most likely means chalice, but the French verb,  _ se caliner _ , to cuddle bears a resemblance. It fits, seeing as the King seduced his wife with the- _ eep _ !"

Abraxas' fingers softly brushed her own, but that was unsurprising, it had already occurred before. Despite that, he still froze. Maybe the biting bogles had crawled from her hand to his own through the prolonged contact, and his veela instincts could sense it. Or maybe it was due to there being a letter at the bottom of the box, written in elegant, flowing cursive script.

"My sister," he explained, a slight sneer marring his expression.

"What does she say?"

"Find a person to cuddle with,  _ already _ ."

"You're being pushed to marry now?"

"Yes. That's why he-" Abraxas gestured to the eagle-owl on his shoulder- "is still sticking around. Ruddy bird's been waiting for a reply the entire time. I should have guessed."

He sat up, and began to search for his quill and ink.

"What am I supposed to say?" he muttered, more to himself than to her. "I haven't exactly been looking-"

"It's hard to look for what can't be found."

He calmed again, as a new idea bloomed. Luna already knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth. There was a calculating look in his eyes, and he was twisting around the family ring which sat upon his finger. For a Slytherin, he really was quite obvious with most of what he did. 

"Say, Luna, what's your dowry?"

Luna pointedly stared at Abraxas until he started to fidget under her gaze.

"Euh, that's a no then?"

"You must bring back a live specimen of the crumple-horned snorkack, or face my father in a wizard's duel to the death. No seconds allowed, international free-for-all rules apply. Plus, just to be fair, he decided to ban any withering flesh curses. You have to be old and experienced enough, to have a few wrinkles, for it to work."

"E-experienced?! Definitely a no then," he quickly said, crumpling up the letter he had started. “Wait. Shouldn’t  _ you  _ be paying  _ me _ in a dowry?”  

“It helps prevent any unwanted forced marriages from the groom’s side,” she replied. 

“It definitely works,” he darkly muttered. “What even is a crumple-thorned-”

“Horned,” she corrected.

“If you haven’t found it yet, then I doubt I can,” Abraxas firmly replied. “Now, back to the letter…” 

"Tell her that you're focusing upon OWLs," Luna suggested, "tell her no one wants a husband without an education."

"Oh, that's a good one."

He started to scribble a quick response. Luna was amused to watch him write in chicken scratch, and then sign his name in a ridiculous, overly curly response. She had never known that the letter B could have so many loops to it, and the final S seemed to never end. That seemed to be the effect he was going for, judging by the smirk on his face. Abraxas wiped the icing on his fingers in smears across the parchment, rolled it up, and then offered it to the owl. Luna had never seen an owl look offended before, but there was a first time for everything. Grudgingly, the owl stuck out his leg, while turning his head one-hundred eighty degrees away from the sight. Then he took off, using Abraxas as a launchpad.

They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing off schoolwork, and talking about inconsequential things. Supper time rolled around, and they were hungry enough to dare trying the less appealing jellybeans to appease their appetites. After the dinner crowd had come and gone (most complaining about having to take the long way to their common rooms because of the broken stairs) Selene arrived. Luna had told her of the solution to get the stairs unstuck from their uncooperative state. She ran up landings, and then slid back down the railing as she went from flight to flight. They made sure to hold on to the railing tightly as they were swung around. Eventually, they reached the landing for the fifth floor. This was perfect, as it was right by the Ravenclaw commons. They waved in thanks to Selene, and then farewell to the stairs which had held them for so long.

They strode back to Ravenclaw Tower in an amicable silence. Luna was about to head up the winding staircase, to the entrance, but Abraxas cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"Luna, um, before you go, I’m... Really, I'm not a bossy person. But  _ he's _ a someone with very strong opinions, on blood, and other things..." Abraxas managed to stammer. "He's said things that frankly scare me. He's  _ seen _ what war looks like, he goes  _ back _ to it in the summer. Yet..."

"What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter what I think."

He did not even give her a chance to argue the point. He swept away, his robes billowing behind him.

Prolonged absence from the future had caused her to forget Snape could do something similar. Her desire to learn the robe-billowing-dramatically technique was suddenly refueled. 

Luna returned to her room, after nearly walking into her former one. She didn't notice it at first, as she had undressed almost immediately, but there was another package upon her bed. She peeled off her socks with her toes, leaving her hands free to pick up the small box of cardstock. She opened it, and a deck of cards came tumbling out, spilling across her blue bedspread. They were tarot cards. Animated tarot cards, their intricate designs displaying things. Horrible things... 

There was a small note, in the handwriting of one she had received before.

_ I trust you will have use for these in the future.  _

_ But you most likely already knew that.    _

_ Your assistance on Saturday was greatly appreciated, _

_ TMR _

**Yet another small problem to add to the list of them time-travel seemed to bring. **


	11. End of Fifth Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about such a late update with this chapter. Because it is a longer one, it took me much more time to write, as well as edit. Next chapter may be just as long, as Selene finally gets fleshed out as a character more. I'm not certain how much of summer I want it to cover yet.

Another Slytherin House Interhouse Team meeting rolled around, so Luna found herself sitting in a rather cramped room, passing around steaming pots of tea, and trying to talk with Eileen Prince. She was not very friendly though. This time, she was seated next to Eileen, and with a girl in third year. (There were no fourth year Slytherin females.) Once they had settled down, and gotten to the meat of the meeting, Luna wound up drifting off again. It wasn't even _intentionally_ that she had done so, but romantic endeavors and embarrassing secrets could only hold her interest for a little while.

Instead, Luna studied the wall before her: the entire room was circular, almost like an underground tower. Due to that, she found it interesting that one would chose to hang a tapestry in there. It was nothing that a sticking charm couldn't fix, should difficulty in pinning up persist, but it left a strange sliver of space unused. What could exist behind that little area? Perhaps the Head Girl, when she inhabited the room, used it to hide secret feminine items. Or the blood-sucked bodies of her latest victims...

"Lovegood, you're up."

A small start was the only indication she gave that she had not been listening. Eyes pressed upon her from every surface, but she did her best to ignore them as she started, "well, I was talking to Veronica the Violent-"

"The portrait?"

"The one with that sentient coat made out of lemmings?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Why would you bother talking to a portrait? They don't know anything useful."

"Let her speak," Walburga commanded, her words clipped.

"She told me that the flying instructor and Professor Nettle have often walked over to an alcove near her."

The sneer dropped from the scorned one's face. The other girls, who had all directed similar expressions towards her, now turned their attention to the disgraced. Luna chanced a peek at the Black cousins. Lucretia seemed somewhat shocked, but Walburga was better at hiding her expression. It was almost pensive, yet smug at the same time. She quickly wiped it off her face however, and said, "informative and a good source of information."

"Do you think we should devote a new section to things we've learned from portraits?" Lucretia asked her.

"The ghosts and house elves too."

"House elves! They'll know the school and its goings-ons even better than the staff! How was it we never thought to talk with them?"

"Because they're above our station," Walburga said.

"We can't all go asking them though-

"-it would be suspicious."

"Do you think-"

"I do, but do _you_ think-"

"Oh absolutely!"

"Then we certainly must-"

"The rest of you, go, Don't act any differently than you normally would," said Walburga, waving a dismissive hand at the younger students, "lieutenants, remain."

The table had not been vanished, so all the girls struggled to get up from where they sat. Luna stood, intending to leave with the rest of them, but a voice from behind her called, "where do you think you're going Lovegood?"

"You're now in charge of the not-human division."

Oh, they'd decided to give her a position of authority in the club. That was nice of them, especially since this was only her second meeting. Luna inched her way over to the four remaining girls, now interested in what they planned to do. Eileen and Vihanta were the two who remained behind, having been given the position of "lieutenants." They gathered around the thick book of information which had been compiled. The Black cousins were both casting different spells at the book, twirling their wands and jabbing at the pages. Right before their eyes, a new section grew into the bindings. Then, much to Luna's surprise, Lucretia pulled a duplicate copy out of her purse.

"They're linked then?" Luna asked.

"Of course. Just because we're leaving Hogwarts this year, it doesn't mean we'll want to be cut off from potentially useful information."

"Even if most of it will be worthless outside of school."

"We give you our express permission to begin collecting information strictly from non-humans. Any that you do get will serve as a nice bonus though."

They went through a little more planning, for how they would address the new development, and then she was dismissed. Luna was somewhat dumbstruck that they had given her extra power within their club, for talking about something she had done for ages. They were appreciating her for something she was good at, even if it was viewed as eccentric, and not of consequence to most.

* * *

More meetings went by, even as exams drew nearer. She told them about the little tidbits she found interesting, and they wrote it down. School may have been drawing to a close, but she was getting used to life in the past. There were still tiny starts of surprise, waves of sadness across the shore of her mind, but it never persisted for long. Whenever she thought about her life now, she felt that strange, warm sensation that only came from a group of people: _Acceptance._ Even if it was somewhat grudgingly from people like the Slytherins, it was still acceptance. She hadn't needed to change, to earn it either.

The Hufflepuffs always did their best to be loyal to their own, so it didn't seem seem the same. She didn't feel like their own, no matter how nice any of the fifth years were though. They'd had plenty of time to cement their friendships, she felt as if she were intruding whenever she joined them for too long. Both houses had their positives and negatives, but Luna thought it was Abraxas who made her lean more towards Slytherin. Ironically, he wasn't even that _good_ of a Slytherin, but they _were_ growing closer.

* * *

Luna may have liked to think that she was aware of her feelings, and of those around her, but it wasn't always true. The predictability of those in the past insured that she got caught completely off-guard when one day, Walburga asked to talk to her, alone.

Perhaps, _asked_ was more of a euphemism.

Luna, having finished her last class before her OWLs started, was walking in the hall when she was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled into a broom closet.

" _Hm_ , the cabinets here have really sharp corners," she greeted.

"Lovegood, you have no trouble believing in... _Unconventional_ things."

That was the most eloquent way it had ever been put. Luna was impressed, it drew her attention to Walburga's face. Her pale skin looked somewhat greasy, her fly-aways more stuck up than she would normally allow.

"That's correct."

"You're not really disgusted by anything, are you? There's no sight or smell or thing-"

This was suddenly starting to get insulting again, but she honestly replied, "the free mind is not a barking dog."

"Spoken like a true Ravenclaw. But this means, you will not, absolutely not, act disgusted when I say this. Even though we're squished together in a closet, even though you seem to believe in that ridiculous Hufflepuff notion-"

 _"She's nervous,"_ Luna realized. _"It's why she's rambling."_

"I-"

"Yes-"

"L-like-"

"Shall I cover my mouth to prevent from screaming aloud whatever you're going to say?"

"Please."

Luna clapped her hands over her mouth, and made sure to grit her teeth.

"Girls."

"What about girls?"

"I _like_ them," she hissed.

"Ah."

"Don't tell me you're disgusted t-" Walburga made a move to pull out her wand, but Luna stopped her.

"I don't see what the problem is. Beyond your arranged marriage. But seeing as that's to a cousin, it's already desirable to escape it."

She let out a long, whoosh of air. All of the tension within her, that made her irritable and snippy drained from her frame.

"That's all. I just needed to tell _someone._ Before I graduate, before I get married this summer. I figured you, at the very least, wouldn't run screaming."

"I prefer to _skip_ screaming actually, I enjoy the alliteration."

She smiled somewhat at this, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Do you want help getting out of the marriage?

"Do I want? Why would I ask-? You-" Her normal sputtering and indigence quickly petered out. "If you can discover how the passwords are decided for the prefect bathrooms every year by giving the Baron a wreath of butterbeer corks, then you probably have an idea on how I could... I mean, you wouldn't suggest it if..."

"I have an idea. We won't even have to summon the roving marsicans to do it!"

"I'll take that as a good thing."

* * *

Walburga and Luna arranged to meet the day exams ended, in an abandoned tower near the owlery. One had to go through a tapestry, but only on Fridays. Six days of the week, there was a hidden door behind it, but this simply lead to a room with a window. The tower was visible from the window, but it was impossible to reach it, one couldn't even climb across the rooftop, because there was nothing but a straight drop downwards. On Friday, however, a bridge would appear, closing the gap. The tower was in the open air, similar to the owlery. A conical roof stretched upwards, held by stone supports around the circular room.

Luna heard it was the perfect place for snogging from the upper years in her time, but she simply liked it for the view. It was the only tower in Hogwarts which faced the Black Lake. It was perfect for spotting all kinds of creatures because of this. She liked to come up to see the giant squid, just below the surface of the water, and watch the merfolk swim to the surface when they thought no one could see them.

Walburga naturally refused to sit on the floor. She took a loose flagstone and transfigured it into a chair for herself. Luna was content to sit on the circular ledge, with her back against the barrier charm. It was in place to prevent anyone from falling or throwing things out of the tower.

" _Ack!_ Blasted wind! Why are there no-" Walburga continued to fuss with her hair, as the breeze continued to blow it out of place. "-weather charms, the bare minimum one should expect! It's basic..."

The wind carried away her fading words. Walburga's voice was hoarse, and Luna could see through the glamour charms she had placed over her dark circles. She settled down quickly, too frazzled, drained from her NEWT examinations, to make a fuss. It also helped that Luna did not care whether or not she looked like "a proper member of the Ancient Most Noblest Black of House," in those exact, very tongue-tied words.

"Shall we get started?" Luna asked.

"Let's."

The flat stone ledge around the tower was perfect surface for writing on. Despite the howling wind, the parchment and ink could not be blown away with the barrier spell in place. Luna prepared to take general notes about the conversation, just like how her dad had taught her to do with an interview. Her heart clenched for a moment as she thought of the Quibbler. She was really going to miss reading her dad's writing, and coming brainstorming ideas with him.

"Your family's all Slytherin," said Luna, who consciously made sure her voice did not crack. "So we need to come up with reasons they would understand for dissolving the marriage."

"Of course. Even if I told them the truth, it wouldn't really matter."

"We will be telling the truth," Luna replied. "Just not all of it."

Walburga smiled thinly at her. It was amazing what a difference it could make to her sallow face.

"Spoken like a true Slytherin."

"What are some things your family cares about?"

"Power, purity, and money."

"What about allies?"

"A narrower version of power," she brushed off.

"Abraxas told me his firstborn is going to marry Lucretia's third."

"Yes, what of it?"

"Doesn't that seem like an excessively long time to spend on making an ally?"

"The Black family cradle betroths. That's just how it works."

"If Orion and you don't get married, it means that he'll be free to do so, faster."

The lines on her forehead disappeared, and the fiery, defiant look in her eyes dimmed slightly. Walburga stopped brushing her hair out of the way so that she could lean closer to the parchment.

" _Oooh_ , I see where you're going," she said. "He can make ties faster, with all of the students that he'll meet in the next six years he spends at school."

"Yes, he'll meet many new students in the coming years."

"Especially with all the purebloods who are fleeing west..." she murmured. "Write that down. Also bring up how a boy who is single will attract more pureblood families, even if they are beneath us and would never stand a chance."

"I think we should discuss the magical properties of three." Luna said.

"Why would I do _that_?"

"The letters T and R catch their friend H, who screams "ee" as he soars through the air. It was lucky that they could catch him, don't you think?"

She wrinkled her nose when faced with the riddle, but deciphered it nevertheless. Luna was rather proud of herself for having come up with it on the spot, even if it was quite simple.

"Three... It's three, right? It's the number of good fortune, luck."

A beaming grin grew on her face as she figured it out. Luna was especially glad that Walburga had actually tried to understand the riddle. She was the first person from this time to do anything of the sort, rather than brush it off. Luna could not even remember the last time that someone from the present had tried to answer a riddle that she told them. Not even the centaurs wanted to hear them after the first few times they caught her in the Forbidden Forest.

"Even if your parents don't remember anything from arithmancy, they're bound to be familiar with the significance of the number three."

"Three what though?"

"There's three of you at Hogwarts."

"Actually, there's _four_ ," she replied. "But, we have a younger brother, Alphard. He's coming to Hogwarts next year. There will be three Blacks at Hogwarts then."

All of a sudden, Walburga had snatched the quill from her, and turned over the parchment. She scribbled furiously on the back of it, writing names and drawing out lines. She did not even seem to notice that she was getting wet ink all over her hand as she wrote all that she could. Luna curiously looked closer at what she was drawing. It was part of the Black pedigree, complete with the family motto at the top of it. With a final flourish of the quill, Walburga circled three names at the bottom of the tree.

"Look at this! Three siblings on my side, two on the other! The next generation has already arranged to have three, on the other side that time! Then look at Sirius the Second and Hesper Gamp! There's Arcturus the Second, Lucretia's father, Lycotis, and Regulus. Three! Then look at the marriage between Cygnus and Violetta Bulstrode! They had three children! My father, Cassiopeia, and Aunt Dorea!"

"If only three of you out of the generation get married and have three children, this will be the third time that it happens."

"You're right!" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "This is hard, _magical_ evidence that Orion and I shouldn't marry! Alphard should in his place, because it will ensure that we have Blacks from three different age groups going to Hogwarts, and making connections!"

Luna had to admit, she had not even thought of that part. She wondered if the repetition of the number three was even doing the Black family any good. But then again, the remaining Blacks from her time was insane, in jail, both, or even worse, Draco Malfoy. The misfortune all stemmed from Walburga and Orion getting married! The arithmancy spoke for itself. If Luna hadn't been convinced she would help Walburga before, this would have done it.

"We need to send this to your parents, as well as your aunt and uncle."

"Right! I won't bother mailing it with an owl! I'll call the house elf, no wait-" Walburga tried to straighten her appearance, but it didn't get her anywhere. She was breathing hard, and her heavy-lidded eyes were open as wide as they could possibly be. Her voice began to sound more jittery as she spoke to herself. "I can get out of this without disownment or marrying some other dimwit! Sweet Merlin I don't have to do this! I can-!"

Taking her shivering hands in her own, Luna gave them a squeeze. Walburga's wild, triumphant, expression was wide, nearly all of her chattering teeth showed.

"You should write out the letter, just in case they can't understand that."

"You're right! Oh of course you're right you brilliant girl! A-accio Black Family seal!"

The tinkling of a breaking window indicated that the seal was on its way to the tower. In the meantime, Walburga had gotten out a clean sheet of parchment, and had wiped the ink off her hand with a scouring charm. Her hands were still shaking though, she could barely dip the quill into the ink. Luna knew that she would not be able to calm down at this rate, they would have to do the letter over multiple times. That was just a waste of supplies, and she would not, absolutely not, contribute to the Ministry Monopoly Scheme. Luna gently took the quill from her, and tucked it under the ink bottle so it could not float away.

"Here, sit with your back to me," she instructed.

"Why?"

"You need to calm down, I'll do your hair. It's proven to help."

Walburga didn't even make a snide comment about how she did her own hair, she was so out of it. She merely gave her a hairbrush, then cast an engorgement and floating charm on a mirror she had. Somehow, Luna did not find it surprising that Walburga kept either of these things in school bag. She took the hairbrush, and started to work at the tips of her hair. It was incredibly curly and wild, not unlike Hermione's had been. Because of this, it was naturally tangled. The wind had not helped it any. Luna made sure to be extra careful not to tug, that would certainly stop her from calming down.

"What will you do when the engagement is dissolved?" Luna asked.

"I'll busy myself with something else that is productive to the Blacks," Walburga replied. "Perhaps organizing family events, political ones, not that there's really a difference."

"You seem to know much about arithmancy."

"It's my favourite subject."

"Are you any good at history?"

"Just wizarding really. None of that goblin rebellion and wizard-muggle rubbish they've been shoving down our throats."

There was a particularly large snag in the centre of her hair. Luna did not respond, as she concentrated on getting through the spot without being too rough. Walburga was at least settling down more, but her face was still a bright red.

It was quite easy to dislike her. She was haughty, a vicious zealot with a voice more piercing than Mrs. Weasley. Luna had half a mind about not helping her. She knew she didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of convincing Walburga Black to abandon the idea of blood purity. Yet, deep down, some part of her hoped that she might come out of this less arrogant, a bit of a better person.

The pureblood superiority complex bothered her, but some of the time, it was so casual that it nearly flew under her radar. Often the pureblood students of Hogwarts were like anyone else. She could laugh and joke with Abraxas, bother John about the existence of a creature he didn't believe in, or learn more signs with Constance and Beatrice. But then there would be a passing comment, something to remind her that yes, they _did_ believe in blood purity. Even Constance, who was a half-blood, looked down upon muggles for taking her hearing. The outcome of the current war would change the sentiments of many. The slaughter would show the world how wrong it was to be apathetic, or worse. Change was a gradual thing, she couldn't possibly persuade what seemed like the entire school that it was wrong to judge on blood.

Luna liked to speak her mind, but she knew there were times when the truth was not what everyone wanted to hear, either. She had to refrain from pointing out the swooping tanues that were nesting in Hermione's book bag, or how doing homework in the morning was not a good idea for Harry and Ron when the Gryffindor boy's common room was placed in a position with the sun that promoted late sleeping.

She couldn't just sit there and do _nothing_ though. People had thought that it was impossible to catch a crumple-horned snorkack, but they had still _tried._ Advancements in the field were made because of it. _Progress_ that would allow for someone in the future to finally capture one of the elusive animals.

"Ow! OW! Watch it Lovegood!"

"Hm?" She must have pulled on Walburga's hair too hard. "Oh sorry, I was thinking."

"About what?"

"I heard that metamorphmagus abilities run in your family."

She nodded sagely, only to accidentally tug the hair caught in the brush's bristles. Hissing in pain, she brought a hand to her head.

"We do. But the only ones right now are Aunt Dorea, and my second cousin, Callidora."

"Can you think of any others?"

"Of course," she said, completely scandalized. "I can name every single one in the family since Phineas Nigellus himself! There's Elladora, whose portrait can actually show the ability, both of her daughters-"

"Are they all female?"

Luna chose to leave out that all their names had D-O-R near the end as well.

"Now that you mention it, yes."

She vanished all of the hair caught in the brush. Then, she did one final run-through of her hair, getting rid of any tiny snags that she discovered

"Maybe you should study your family's magic. It would be good for upholding your family legacy, by being knowledgeable."

Luna had only added the last part to make it appealing enough to make her think about it. There was so much _more_ in their world of magic than simply planning parties and boring pureblood politics. How could anyone find those things intriguing when there were so many mysteries to explore, so much knowledge to absorb?

"I think my parents would approve of that," she said in a quiet voice. "I _am_ well-versed on the Black family, more so than anyone else in my generation."

Given that the remaining three at Hogwarts had not recited the entire Black family tree back to the early eighteen hundreds to her _twice_ within thirty minutes, it was an accurate assessment.

"Do you want a twist or a braid?"

"My hair is too short for either of those things."

"Hogwash. We'll make it work."

"A twist I suppose."

They turned to silence, as Luna started to make a crown atop of Walburga's head. It involved many sticking charms to keep the shorter hairs in place, (the longest barely reached past her shoulders) and more than once Walburga complained that she was tugging too hard. But Luna was satisfied with the end result. Walburga looked almost like she had a bird's nest upon her hair, or perhaps it was more of a kappa-like effect. If she put a water-proofing charm on the style, she could hold water, and _really_ look like a water demon. Something told Luna that she should not make the suggestion. She had a feeling that Walburga would not like being compared to a kappa for whatever reason.

"There, do you feel calmer?"

She nodded.

"I'm going to start the letter now."

"The formation of the cumulus clouds in the Great Hall this morning looked like a grey heron, so I'll see you at dinner."

"Could you actually stay and proof for me, please?" Her face reddened slightly. "I don't want to miss anything."

 _Please_. It was not even a royal command, like she had come to expect from Walburga.

"Of course. I don't think we were able to write everything down."

With her hands no longer shaking, Walburga was able to start the letter. In long, meticulous calligraphy, she wrote sentence after sentence of things that didn't matter, padding, indirectly referring to the deductions she had made. Luna was mesmerized by the slow, practiced movements of her hand as it looped across the page. She tried to deduct what her handwriting said about her, but it was harder to tell when every letter was drawn out so meticulously upon the page. It wasn't simply writing, it was an art, that she had obviously practiced for a long time.

 _Members of the Black family didn't write home in chicken scratch._ Luna was almost certain that was one of their many family mottos. She debated upon the word placement of it though. Would they use the words chicken scratch on its own? Or would they add something more scathing on to the end? _Chicken scratch like that of a common filthy muggle?_ Luna would have asked, but there were other questions that she had.

"Do you think you'll take up a secret lover?"

A black streak tore across the page, she let out a small squeak. Luna calmly waved her wand, siphoning the ink off before it could settle in.

"What?!"

"I'm sure there are many girls out there, in and out of school that would be happy to start up _liaisons_."

"You really think-?" Walburga became an even deeper red, she looked like she was doing her best not to yell. "I'm not having this conversation with _you_."

"Everyone knows it happens all the time with arranged marriages," Luna continued. "It's probably the only reason why people put up with them to begin with."

"I'm not going to- it's not-"

"Proper of a member of the Black family?"

"Yes! Exactly! It's not proper, or normal-"

"Oh, you'll find that a lot of things that don't seem normal are. You just need to look at things from a different angle."

"And what angle would that be?" She asked sarcastically, viciously dotting her J with more force than was necessary. Walburga quickly soaked up the extra ink before it could splotch anything.

"Try an acute one," Luna said. "I find they're much better than the obtuse."

Walburga sighed, but it sounded more like she was trying to conceal a laugh. She looked up with tired eyes, brushing still loose wisps of hair from her face. There was something incredibly striking about her appearance. Her eyebrows were heavy, to match her heavily lidded eyes. Despite her blonde hair (it was very strange how it was either blonde or black, but never brown with her family) they were prominent. Her cheekbones were high, and her skin was stretched taught across them. The bones looked like they could pop out of her skin at any moment, especially when she was yelling at someone. They were like living creatures beneath the flesh, pushing with all their might to escape.

"Does that have a double meaning as well?"

"Only because you've decided to look," she answered in a sing-song voice.

"Do you really think there are other girls who might-?" She left the phrase hanging in the air. Not even the constant gale that tore through the tower could spirit it away.

"If you look in the right places, I'm sure you'll discover many a cute one."

"Tell me you did _not_ just say that."

"You should check out the Hufflepuff Quidditch team," she suggested, ignoring her groan. "From what Constance has told me, you might find some luck there. Well, at least once you feel that you're over her."

"I think..." She was slow and deliberate with her words. "Talking has already helped. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to have a regular, non-Slytherinish, conversation."

And to think just a week ago, Walburga had said she was like talking to the Ravenclaw doorknocker.

* * *

After that, time at school resumed a fast pace, all somewhat blurring before her eyes. She snuck into the Forbidden Forest with Selene (twice), ignored the deck of tarot cards at the bottom of her trunk, lost spectacularly during the Hufflepuff's competition to see who knew the much sign language (Beatrice unsurprisingly won), and wrote her OWLS. Then, the school year was over. There was a strange mixture of tension which had arisen among the students. The load of examinations, and the worries of the Chamber of Secrets had been taken off their backs. Yet now, many left the peaceful Scottish countryside for the worries of war.

Her things had all been properly packed for the house elves to transport, but that did not stop Abraxas from gallantly (as gallant as one could be while muttering under their breath about "asinine customs.") carrying her book bag all the way to the carriages. Just before he could close the door, Selene clambered into the carriage, and took the seat next to Luna.

If she saw the somewhat miffed expression of the boy, she chose not to care.

There was a slight start as the thestrals started to walk. Selene gripped her arm for support, until they had broken into a steady trot. Her eyes strayed to the passing scenery outside, but her attention was entirely focused upon whatever Luna or Abraxas would say. At least, Luna suspected this. Selene was suspiciously silent for someone who had been so intent on riding with them that she had run up to the coach, and very nearly gotten her fingers slammed in the heavy metal door. Suspicious or not, Abraxas pretended to brush off the bother he felt with the imaginary dust which had appeared on his sleeve.

"Where are you staying this summer?"

He grimaced slightly at the question.

"My parents sent me _and_ Ariel over the channel after Armando ran off, so we're stuck in our only British home. It doesn't even have a name. Just Malfoy Mansion, Manor, whichever."

"What's the floo address?"

"Dégoûtante et poussiéreuse maison ancienne: east wing."

Luna had picked up a few tidbits of French, along with her British Sign Language, but reading it was much easier.

"Disgusting and-"

"-dusty old house, east wing," he explained, filling in the blanks for her. "My sister named it. We've no use for an entire mansion, so just one section 'as been cleaned."

She tried repeating the words he had said, wanting to commit them to memory, but it sounded much clumsier.

"East means seeing many beautiful sunrises," Selene chimed in, smiling at the window.

"Something like that. I'll write it down for you too."

They took a moment to exchange floo addresses on scraps of parchment. Abraxas pocketed his, and Luna made sure that hers was safely tucked behind her left ear.

"You'll have to get special permission to actually visit the mansion though, Ariel doesn't pull any punches when it comes to security."

"Will she be at platform 9¾?"

"None of us take the train," Selene answered, "we all have a family member who can to apparate us home."

" _What about the muggleborns?"_ Luna thought.

"It would be a little dangerous to take a train all the way to an area that's regularly attacked by muggles, don't you think?" Abraxas added. "But she _will_ be at Hogsmeade Station, if you want to mentally prepare yourself for that."

"Does she have snowy xylems following her?"

"She would find Walburga Black to be a kindred spirit."

The forced diplomatic tone he maintained left both Lovegoods giggling, and he cracked a slight grin too.

"Not a Hebridean Black?"

"Those too," he muttered darkly. "Don't let her marriage talk get to you though."

"Did you tell him about the standard Lovegood dowry Luna?"

"Naturally."

"Out of pure curiosity, where _do_ your crumple-horned snorkacks live?"

Luna instantly straightened up at the question, it had been a while since someone had asked her more detailed information about her favourite animal.

"It's a little obscure at the moment. They've had sightings all over eastern Europe, but nothing too solid. They're rather elusive you see, because of the natural field of eye-strain curse their bodies produce. Looking where one might be for too long, especially without blinking, can lead to watering, soreness, internal bleeding-"

There was another sudden lurch, they had reached their destination. Abraxas cautiously peered out the window, scanning the train platform for his older sister. It was obvious the moment he did, because he drew down the blinds on the carriage window.

"'Ow's my appearance? I was in a _beet_ of rush this morning, I feel asleep in _zese_ robes and forgot to pack and-"

He fussed with his hair, clawed at his school tie, and gave his shoes a last-minute polish. If he left his tie that tight, he would end up strangling before they got on the platform. Luna reached over and gave the knot a small tug. His face reddened somewhat, and he managed to give a garbled thanks.

"This is as good as it's going to get, I do believe."

He opened the door, and exited first. Selene, springs in her youthful legs, leaped out of the carriage before he could even offer his hand for support. She galloped off in the direction of Toghairm, who was intensely staring at the train tracks. He stumbled backwards when the girl tackled him in a hug, nearly falling onto the rails.

Luna _did_ take Abraxas' sweaty palm in her own, however. She was willing to risk the biting bogels for her friend. _Her_ friend… It was a thought which made her smile, even as the supposed harpy of the name Ariel, descended upon them. She quickly kissed him on both cheeks, and then spoke in rapid French, of which, she could only understand a few fragmented words. Judging by the spreading flush upon his face, she didn't really want to understand what she was saying anyway.

"Ah, Ariel, this is my _friend_ Luna Lovegood."

"Lovegood, yes," she nodded, her voice considerably slowing in English, "Walburga Black has told me about you."

"Kindred spirits," Abraxas mumbled, nudging her in the ribs.

They shared a knowing grin at that.

"You must come over this ah- _comment dit-on-?_ "

"Summer," he filled in for her.

"Yes. I plan on a few parties with his school friends-"

His expression told her all she needed to know about _that_ idea.

"-Walburga's family is holding a summer solstice party, so she promised me I could throw one in July to avoid awkward problems. Oh, and of course Abby's birthday is in July!"

If he had looked displeased with being told of the parties to expect in the summer months, being called Abby was even worse. Luna didn't mention it, but she filed away the nickname for prodding him with at a later date.

"I believe Luna's uncle is looking for her," Abraxas said, his voice somewhat strained.

After giving a promise to keep in touch, she took the opportunity to escape. Toghairm and Selene were to the side, quietly waiting.

"Still here are you?" Toghairm greeted.

"Hair doesn't seem to have the same slimy quality of seaweed when wet, don't you think?"

He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Erm, yes. Well, let's going."

The crack of apparition reverberated through her ears as they left the platform. As she suffered the usual discomforting sensations, it occurred to Luna that she had let all of her luggage be loaded on the train by the elves, but she was sure everything would turn out in the wash. It always did, anyway, seeing as the ashrays who would take her things were aquatic.


	12. Summer with Selene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summer now spans three chapters: Beginning, Birthdays, and Back to School.
> 
> Read, review, and enjoy!

Luna awoke to the harsh cries of gulls, and the distant roaring of the ocean waves. She blearily opened her eyes, letting her sight focus upon the white-washed ceiling. With bits of brown gardening twine, various starfish and sea shells had been hung from the rafters. Their multicoloured surfaces gleamed in the morning sun, scattering tiny sunbeams everywhere. It was a nice touch, the sea-shells, Selene had good taste. Turning on her side, Luna saw that Selene was already awake. Her bed was already made, quilt neatly folded, and pillows back in place. Gradually, Luna became grew more awake, and she got out of bed. Her feet scuffed quietly against the wooden floor as she got dressed. (Her school trunk had arrived around the evening, with a stern note warning her to not leave it to the train again.)

Descending the squeaky stairs, she perceived the sound of the kettle whistling. Sure enough, Selene was in the kitchen, neatly setting two bowls and two spoons at the table. A glass of pumpkin juice already awaited her, sitting neatly next to her new spot. As she entered the room, Selene turned around.

"Morning."

"Good morning," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Uncle's already at work, so it's just us for breakfast."

From one of the cupboards, she produced a sack of oatmeal. Then, she took the sugar bowl off the counter, and placed it inside a bucket wooden bucket, which rested upon the counter. Then, she picked up the kettle with one hand, and the bucket with the other.

"I'm just going to deliver breakfast to the neighbour. Then we can eat."

Curious, Luna followed along with her. The sun, although still rising, glared brightly at them that morning. There was still an orange hue to the sky, casting the entire landscape in its warm glow. The land around Periwinkle Cottage was on an incline. Most of the area was for that matter. It consisted of sharp, gleaming, white cliffs, with jagged rocks below. The cottage sat atop one of these cliffs, a safe distance away from the steep drop ahead. On another hill, there was a lighthouse. The neighbour presumably lived there, because it was the only other building in sight. Between these two hills, there was naturally a bit of a valley. They began their descent carefully, Selene taking pains not to spill the water, or the contents of her bucket.

"I always take breakfast to the neighbour in the summer," Selene explained to her. "Uncle says it's good to provide acts of goodwill."

"I used to visit my neighbours all the time," she replied. "One of them was my first friend ever. We would go hunting for faeries."

"Were there many where you lived?"

"Right around the creek, there was a small thicket area that they liked. We always made sure to leave out some breadcrumbs and honey for them to eat."

"The ones around here prefer shiny things over food. Sometimes I'll leave out shells on the windowsill for them."

They were almost at the lighthouse now. It was a building taken straight from a picture: tall and cylindrical, its brick sides painted a peeling white. There were small, rectangular windows spaced all around the walls in a gradual spiral upwards.

"Are they magical?"

"Does it matter?" Selene snapped.

Setting the bucket and kettle on the porch, Selene first took out a bowl, and then a spoon. She poured some of the oatmeal into the bowl, followed by the water, and stirred it. Then, she sprinkled some of the sugar on top. There was a large, brass knocker on the door. It was shaped like an anchor, with ropes twisting around the middle. Selene knocked four times, and then turned on her way.

"We'll collect the bowl at lunchtime," she replied, still somewhat on edge.

Feeling slightly put out, and wondering _who_ lived in the lighthouse, (maybe it was a were-vampire! That would certainly annoy John Perkins!) Luna resumed walking in the opposite direction. Breakfast was a quiet affair, saving the clinking of their spoons against the bowls. They washed their own dishes, and Selene showed her where to put them away.

Next, came their summer homework. They got out their books, and settled down at the kitchen table once more. Luna was supposed to be studying the theory behind how shielding charms worked, but she had trouble focusing. The quiet rustling of paper, and the sound of scratching quills started to bother her. Was it not stuffy, sitting inside, when she had a whole new environment to explore? It did not help that things were suddenly tense with Selene, for reasons she could not really understand. What had she done wrong? Should she have positioned her shoes facing west, rather than south, to channel the energy of the sun _away_ from the door? Should she have helped with breakfast? Luna was somewhat at a loss as to what she needed to do. She vacantly stared at the page, until understanding was finally able to come to her.

"Blood purity's much more prominent now than it is in the future."

Luna had thought of using the word _intense_ , but, as there was still a terrorist organization running around trying to kill muggles, she did not find that the appropriate use of vocabulary.

"You must be enjoying it here then," she tersely replied.

"Not really, it's harder to call out people, when everyone does it... Much harder..."

"Then why are you still hanging around blood purists?"

"Abraxas is more interested in surviving the schemes of his family than blood,"

Of course, that had not stopped him from being uncertain on whether to treat her politely before he was certain of her blood status.

"And the Blacks?"

"Slippery when wet."

"What does that even _mean?"_

"I'm not a blood purist, even if my friend is."

"I still think you should tell him off if he says something mean."

When she thought about it, Luna never really had _seen_ him discriminate against others within the school. However, she still knew that he was one of Tom's "friends," too. He kept that part of himself quite quiet, now that she thought about it. Had she simply never chosen to read into his actions, or was he actually going out of his way to hide things from her? Luna dismissed the thoughts as paranoid, even though not all of her agreed. The tension had been lifted from between them, anyway. She had guessed right in assuming that Selene was somewhat annoyed with her leaning more Slytherin, than Hufflepuff.

They eventually gave up on trying to do their homework. It was the first day of summer break, and there were more interesting things to be doing. But first, Selene lead her back to the lighthouse, where the now-empty bowl and spoon sat on the porch. They had been recently washed, a puddle of water still sitting within the dish. Selene put these things in the wicker basket she now carried, and they walked some more.

They stopped in the valley this time, however, and walked towards the coast. There were a few sandy patched, but most of shore was rocky, many spiked boulders protruded from the clear water. The smell of salt grew even stronger as they approached. Between rocks, there were millions of fragments of shell, in a range of colours. Most were rather plain in colour, muted creams and browns, but there were a few shiny ones.

Hoisting their skirts to their knees, they combed the beach, looking for anything interesting. Between the rocks and the shells, there was much for them to pick up. Selene was more than happy to identify anything which she could not recognize. It seemed like the girl was an encyclopedia of shell types, and even some of the different kinds of rocks which could be found. Each stone was washed smooth by the waves, which were rather calm that day. The tide was out when they started to fill the basket with various things which they liked, but it gradually encroached upon them. Cold water chased their toes until they could take it no longer.

After a mutual agreement to stop for the time being, they started to collect winkles instead. There were rocks which they could climb out on, now that the tide was in. They were slick with seaweed and water, yet they clambered out anyway, plucking winkles off the sides of the rock and placing them in the basket too. They harvested what Selene deemed to be "enough," and then had her lug the basket further back.

There was one large rock, which appeared to have been rolled to the spot, sitting in the grass. When they sat down upon it, the blades nearly reached to their shoulders. It was peculiar, to be so near the ocean, and yet have one of a completely different sort surround them on three other sides. Wildflowers of different varieties sprouted too, growing just as tall as the grass, adding splashes of red, purple, and yellow to the landscape.

Selene showed her how to shell the winkles, pulling them out with a pin, and then flicking them into the bowl. It was strange to see how the winkles in the basket gradually decreased, yet the bowl hardly seemed to get any more full. As they shelled, the began to talk once more.

"Is-" Luna wasn't quite sure how she should address Toghairm at this point. "Is your uncle often at work in the summer?"

"Oh yes," Selene nodded. "Being the head of his department means he has a lot of work and responsibility. Really, the only one who can discipline him is the Minister, so he has to make sure that he's able to be his own boss."

"What did you do before moving here?"

"Just travelling, research. He doesn't really need the job, but it's always best to be prepared."

"You never know when your position in the Ministry will provide you with insider information on the Halation Scheme."

"Huh?"

"Oh, you wouldn't have heard of it yet. Not for another ten years," she apologetically said.

"That makes more sense."

"I used to go travelling with my parents too, every summer holiday."

"Speaking of your parents," suddenly, the girl looked much more coy. "Who exactly is your _grandfather?_ Is it Charlie Moody?! John Perkins?! Is it Algie Longbottom? Oh boy Augusta will not be happy about that- she hates me!"

"Mum never talked about her father."

"Never talked about?!" Selene yelped, pointing her needle at her. "Tell me you're joking! My love-life depends upon this Luna!"

"It may have already changed, what with me being here."

" _Nooo!_ I'm going to die an old maid aren't I?!"

"That's the last of them."

"The last of what?"

"The winkles," she answered, pointing to the basket.

"Oh, how _convenient_."

"Incredibly," was all she said, picking up the bowl.

They took the winkles back to the kitchen. Here, Selene took out the frying pan and the butter. Luna felt a little hesitant letting Selene cook with boiling oil. Of course, they handled potions just as dangerous every day at school, but an illogical part of her brain told her to do it. Her own parents had not let her cook with boiling oil until she was taller than their leafiest crab apple tree. Surely, Toghairm was not aware that she had allegedly been doing that "forever now." Under the watchful eyes of Selene, she fried up the wrinkles, adding salt water, and carefully stirring them up. Naturally, there were many splatters of grease when she cooked. Luna found that the area up to her wrists had small red pinpricks, where she had been hit.

Selene in the meantime had toasted some bread for them, and spread even more butter across their surfaces. They heaped the wrinkles onto the bread, making sandwiches, and carried them out to the back steps of the cottage. There, they sat, balancing plates on their knees, and staring at the horizon. While the winkles had looked unappealing when taking them out of their shell, frying them up hid the rubbery, greyish tinge they really had. They were quite good in fact, if not a little greasy- no thanks to all the butter which had been involved.

The next few days were spent showing Luna around. One morning, Toghairm was sitting at the kitchen table when she and Selene returned from delivering breakfast to the neighbour.

"We're heading out to shopping today," he informed her. "Groceries in town, and then a quick stop at Diagon Alley."

It was a simple affair, and organized too. Selene naturally knew everything they had to buy, so she mostly pulled Luna around the small town, cheerily introducing her to shop owners and picking up groceries along the way. All three of them stayed together in Diagon Alley, however. Safety in numbers was more important there, apparently. Toghairm did not speak much, save, when they passed by Ollivander's.

"Selene, did you ever find some reading material for Luna on time-travel?"

"No," she guiltily replied.

"Make sure you do then. Luna, you should probably be aware that the trace doesn't affect minors, so long as they have gone back to a time before their wand was purchased."

"That's quite useful."

"You mean she could have been doing magic this entire time? So I _didn't_ have to do all of those chores?"

"Yes, you still would have, because they're _your_ chores."

"Hmph. First she won't tell me who I'm marrying and now this?!"

They stopped momentarily, to look at the summer display in one shop's windows. The weather inside the glass was altering back between blazing hot, and dark thunderclouds. The clothes inside remained completely oblivious to both elements. The moment Selene was suitably distracted, Toghairm quietly asked, "who _is_ she marrying?"

"I don't know."

"See?" Selene said, evidently only having pretend to be occupied.

He laughed, and then they resumed walking.

Luna's impression of the man still remained the same since their first meeting, even after that moment. He didn't want to be here, part of himself was somewhere else already somewhere else. Only Selene could bring him fully back, for seconds a time at that. She worked very hard at it, Luna noticed. She did her best to be obedient, doing all of her chores, finishing her homework no matter how much of a "Ravenclaw" it could potentially turn her into, and so on. Some of those responsibilities were a bit dangerous for someone who couldn't yet be warded from the ermixmi. (Luna had quickly taken them up as they came along, the ermixmi were no joke after all.) Selene also kept bright and happy, making enough jokes for all three of them, and always trying to lighten the mood.

There was something _off_ about the situation, with the little house so isolated from everyone.

Luna had ruled out a number of causes already: she had checked the floorboards for extra nails sticking out, made sure that there were no possessed objects living in the attic, or windows aligned in malignant positions. She wanted to understand what force it was that made her feel the way she was about the situation, but her searches always turned up with nothing.

So, the month of July slowly unfolded. Throughout the next weeks, they followed a structure, with Selene occasionally throwing in something new to do. Luna was lead her through various things: they plucked some wildflowers, hanging them to dry, and braiding wreaths to ward off the ligigord. She showed her how to set the traps for the eels, and made another attempt at their homework. Despite Selene's personality, it was a very subdued time. Mostly, it was just the two of them, quietly puttering around the house. Toghairm was seldom home, often coming in late, and leaving early in the morning.

Her frustration reached its peak just as the month began to die. But a large eagle-owl entered through the kitchen window before she could express her discontent. Luna would recognize the all-too-dramatic owl anywhere. She quickly took the letter, while Selene offered him a piece of eel from the batch they had been boiling. The owl slowly regarded it, sizing it up no doubt. Suddenly, Owley swooped in, and she snatched the eel from her fingers. There was a flurry of feathers and angered screeching. Luna drowned out Selene trying to scold and placate at the same time. She opened the envelope. In it, there were two letters. One more formal-looking (was that cologne which had been sprayed upon it, or dragon pheromones?) and the other written clearly in Abraxas' chicken scratch. She chose to read his first.

_Luna,_

_First, please ignore everything on that invitation my crazy sister sent to you. (She's crazy.) ((Especially ignore the Abby part.)) (((And the gift recommendations she wrote on the back. I know whatever you get will be brilliant.)))_

_Second, your owl looked ready to drop dead with your last letter. She doesn't seem good with long distances. I've told my sister's even crazier bird to wait for your response. If he doesn't listen, please floo in response._

_My birthday is on the Saturday. I've seen the clothes I'm wearing and the plans my sister made, so I'd suggest dressing formal, not whatever rubbish she wrote on your invitation._

_I hope you can make it,_

_Abraxas._

Curious, Luna then turned to the invitation his allegedly crazy sister had sent. There was nothing startling about the front of it. The flowery card stock had little engravings of ivy along the edges, and the information was on the front. Date (last Saturday of the month), time (the evening), dress code (appropriate for a birthday, which actually gave Luna some ideas on what to wear), and so on. On the back, the suggestions for gifts were more interesting. It looked like Ariel had specifically written them down for her... And they all had to do with the typical gifts the engaged or courting purebloods gave one and other.

Crazy sister indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In 1943, the last Saturday of July is the 31st.


End file.
